Earlier this week, Turki Alalshikh made headlines when he teased he could send Dana White 'to the moon' with an offer to do the superfight between Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.
However, the UFC CEO seems to disagree with Turki Alalshikh's suggestion for a superfight; instead he focuses on making the undisputed showdown against interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Dana White turns down Turki Alalshikh's offer to send him to the moon in 2025
Turki Alalshikh may be credited with redefining this modern era of superfighting in the boxing ring, but the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority has been cautious about making such a move towards the octagon.
That was until earlier this week when Alalshikh told Ariel Helwani he has “two options” for PFL king Francis Ngannou – one in the squared circle and the other involving UFC heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
“I have two options on the table for Francis. One in MMA and one in boxing, I want to discuss with him… In MMA my answer is always: we want to do the biggest thing. [fights]… [Yes it’s Jon Jones]we need to send Dana White to the moon.
Both PFL CEO Peter Murray and Ngannou have stated that they are open to the fight, with 'The Predator' goading Jones on X, writing: “There is only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings. #NgannouVSJones.”
While Ngannou, Alalshikh and the PFL may be involved in such a superfight, unfortunately, UFC CEO Dana White wants nothing to do with the massive cross-promotional showdown.
In response to an Instagram post from 'Nasharmma' about the plague of Alalshikh, Dana White vehemently rejected the offer: “Absolutely NOT true. Jon [Jones] vs. Tom [Aspinall].
Tom Aspinall is 'confident' the Jon Jones fight can happen in 2025
Although Jones has claimed there is a 'money figure' the UFC would have to match before he signs to fight Tom Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion remains confident he will face 'Bones' in the new year.
“I'm confident it's going to happen,” Aspinall told Bloody Elbow last week.
'Obviously I have to keep a lot of things secret. I've had conversations with the higher-ups in the UFC and they are confident that this will happen. I don't know from Jon's side, but I do know it's very likely from my side and from the UFC.”
Aspinall also discussed what it was like watching Jones defeat Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick to the body at UFC 309 last month.
“I was very impressed with him – the place where he kicked it, the position in the Octagon, was almost an arm's length away from where I was sitting.
“It was right next to me. It was right on my side of the Octagon, and it was brutal… Both guys are tired. To have one while you were already breathing heavily must have been horrible.”
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