Jon Jones Wants 'F--k You Money' to Fight Aspinall: 'He Annoys Me... Don't Like Him'

Jon Jones is no longer completely dismissing a UFC heavyweight title unification bout with Tom Aspinall, but he is going to require a hefty paycheck to make it happen.

Speaking to reporters at the UFC 309 post-show press conference, Jones explained UFC needs to pay him "f--k you money" to fight Aspinall because he doesn't like the interim champion:

"He's annoying to me. He's annoying to me and that's my own personal—he annoys me. I get it you guys find it entertaining, but I find him annoying. I just don't like him and at the end of the day, if I give him the opportunity to fight me, I want to be so compensated-I want to say it, I want that 'f--k you' money, honestly. That's just what it is. Or else my life is perfect without him. I don't need him at all and he needs me and that's a good place to be in a negotiation."

Jones has resisted calls to fight Aspinall up to this point because, as he told MMA reporter Kevin Iole, that the interim champ "hasn't done anything" and he's only interested in fights that would serve to enhance his legacy in the sports (starts at 7:40 mark).

In the same interview, Jones did say he would be interested in a bout with current UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira because that would be "worth it" both financially and for his legacy.

The calls for Jones to square off with Aspinall grew louder on Saturday night after Bones retained the heavyweight title with a third-round knockout of Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309.

UFC CEO Dana White said on The Jim Rome Show (h/t ESPN's Andreas Hale) that Jones' next match would be against Aspinall, not Pereira, if he chooses to fight again.

Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title by defeating Sergei Pavlovich in the main event of UFC 295. The only reason that was booked on the show was because the Jones-Miocic bout had to be postponed when Jones suffered a torn pectoral muscle during training.

The 31-year-old Aspinall successfully defended the interim crown with a first-round knockout of Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 on July 27. He is 15-3 in his mixed martial arts career, with 12 wins via knockout or TKO.

None of Aspinall's nine UFC fights have lasted two full rounds, with eight of them ending in the first round. He is 8-1 since joining the promotion in 2020.

Jones is 2-0 since moving up to heavyweight and 28-1 with one no contest in his career.