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Daniel Cormier is confident that the UFC heavyweight title unification fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall will bear fruit in 2025.
UFC CEO Dana White recently made a 100 percent guarantee that Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and interim champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will meet in a highly anticipated matchup next year.
If White’s confidence becomes a reality and the unification fight does come to fruition, Cormier expects that, win or lose, Jones will retire from active competition thereafter.
“(White’s comment) tells me they can do it,” Cormier told MMA Junkie. “It tells me they gave Jon Jones a big enough number to make it because I always thought Jones negotiated publicly. I don’t believe for a second that he’s afraid of anyone. I think he was scared,” so to speak, “I want a number so big that I ride off into the sunset and I’m done.”
“But it also sort of lays the groundwork for people to realize that it’s almost over. He’s almost finished, isn’t he? So prepare for life after Jon Jones, because I believe he’s laid the groundwork for a massive payday, but what? I don’t think he’s going to be someone that when he gets beat or the fights get tougher, he’s just going to move on and try to make money.
Although it’s rare for White to speak publicly about an unannounced clash with as much confidence as Jones vs. Aspinall, nothing is official yet. The details of the date and location are still unconfirmed and until this is clarified there will be a certain degree of uncertainty.
However, Cormier is confident that White’s words will prove correct and believes it would be in Jones’ best interest to postpone things until the next possible date.
“He (White) would say that if he felt like they were close or it was over,” Cormier said. “I would probably think about summer. If I were Jon Jones I would do this sooner rather than later because with every month that passes he just gets older and Tom Aspinall gets better. So I would try to do that as quickly as possible.” I wouldn’t want to wait until next year in New York, where he’s almost 38, 39 years old and the kid is getting better and better.
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier shares key takeaways from Dana White’s guarantee for Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall
