The ongoing situation involving UFC heavyweight champions Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall continues to evolve with frequent social media exchanges between the lineal and interim titleholders. Despite the back-and-forth, UFC CEO Dana White consistently assures that the anticipated title unification bout will ultimately take place.
However, seasoned UFC fighter Renato Moicano does not share this optimistic view.
“I think it`s absurd,” Moicano told MMA Fighting, expressing his thoughts on Aspinall potentially being forced to wait for an unusually long period without a chance to unify the belts. He drew a comparison between Jones` actions and those of Conor McGregor, who caused a two-year delay for Michael Chandler. Moicano suggested Jones might be attempting to wait out Tom Aspinall`s prime. He noted the difference, however, that Jones is currently a champion, whereas McGregor`s influence stemmed more from his significant hype.
Moicano believes Dana White genuinely wishes to book the fight. Nevertheless, he understands that even if Jones were to retire rather than face a younger contender like Aspinall, having `Bones` associated with the promotion provides valuable leverage, especially during crucial negotiations for a new TV deal.
“The UFC finds itself in a difficult situation,” Moicano explained, “because while they aim to resolve this, they still require Jon Jones — or at least his image, much like they need McGregor.” He contended that the promotion would suffer significant losses if they were to dismiss or sideline these high-profile fighters. Moicano feels that the era of massive, singular stars akin to McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, and Brock Lesnar is largely over, with star power now being more diffused across the roster. He saw Alex Pereira as the only recent fighter who briefly achieved that level of broad appeal, but lost it following his recent defeat. Had Pereira defeated Magomed Ankalaev, Moicano felt, he would have maintained that level of popularity.
Moicano then reviewed the current champions and their public profile. “Tell me, which champion is popular?” he questioned. He mentioned Alexandre Pantoja lacks popularity, and while Merab Dvalishvili is gaining recognition, he isn`t widely popular yet. Alexander Volkanovski is popular but has lost twice to Islam Makhachev, is older, and wasn`t a global phenomenon like Max Holloway. Islam Makhachev holds significant popularity in the Arab world but doesn`t resonate as strongly with American and Western audiences, suggesting Dustin Poirier would have been a better business option for the UFC. At welterweight, Belal Muhammad was champion, and now Jack Della Maddalena is emerging with a relatively modest social media following. Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis isn`t popular, Moicano argued, believing Khamzat Chimaev would have been a far better draw. He even jokingly remarked that light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev isn`t popular with anyone.
“And at heavyweight, it`s Jon Jones,” Moicano concluded. He perceives the UFC as being heavily influenced by both Jones and McGregor. In his personal opinion, Jones should be stripped of the belt, allowing Tom Aspinall to fight another contender. However, he immediately questioned who a suitable opponent would be. Ciryl Gane? Moicano was critical, stating, “I think Ciryl Gane sucks. People will criticize me, but Ciryl Gane can`t even spell jiu-jitsu, brother.” He also pointed out Alexander Volkov`s inactivity and a general reluctance among fighters to step up. This, in his view, reinforces the UFC`s dependence on Jon Jones. Moicano predicted that the fight against Aspinall won`t happen, asserting that Jones is merely stalling because there`s a high probability of him losing to Aspinall, whom he described as a fast, athletic representative of the new heavyweight generation, making the risk too substantial for Jones.
Moicano suggested that the mere prospect of a Jones-Aspinall fight, while generating fan interest, significantly enhances Jones` leverage in negotiations. He contrasted this with the current UFC business strategy under the ESPN deal, where the promotion may not always be incentivized to allocate large budgets for every major fight.
“Not only does it create demand [from fans], but it gives [Jones] leverage in negotiation,” Moicano reiterated. He highlighted Conor McGregor`s “absurd” level of leverage with the UFC. Moicano argued that while the UFC`s powerful marketing machine was instrumental in building McGregor into a superstar – a process that requires a very specific personality and is difficult to replicate – McGregor`s success is also deeply indebted to the promotion`s infrastructure. Using an analogy, Moicano advised the UFC to handle such stars cautiously, like managing a wolf: keep it somewhat controlled and slightly fearful (“small”) so it serves to intimidate others, but prevent it from becoming dangerous to the organization itself.
With increasing revenues from event locations and a potentially much larger TV deal on the horizon, the UFC`s financial outlook appears stronger than ever in the long term.
“The UFC is now making money in countless ways, particularly with this transition from ESPN to potential new partners like Netflix or Amazon,” Moicano observed. He mentioned discussions of significantly larger financial agreements, potentially billions annually. He argued that, particularly after a new deal is secured, the specific identities of the fighters become less critical for the UFC`s overall business model. They sign fighters relatively cheaply (e.g., with payouts like $8k to show and $8k to win) from shows like the Contender Series and quickly match them against ranked opponents or tough competition. If a fighter wins, they are promoted; if they lose, the UFC simply brings in another prospect. This efficient “machine,” he believes, means they aren`t overly concerned about individual fighter demands in the long run.
However, he circled back to the reason for the current tolerance of leverage from Jones and McGregor: the impending TV deal. They need big names and compelling figures to present to potential partners like Netflix to secure the highest possible price. “Who are the ones that sell? It`s obviously McGregor first, then Jon Jones, and maybe Alex Pereira third,” he noted. These stars are crucial for maximizing negotiation power. Once the deal is finalized, Moicano`s perspective was pragmatic: “f*ck it, brother, it`s five more years with money in the pocket, and we think about all that later.”
