Chael Sonnen has made a huge prediction for 2025 involving Jon Jones – insisting the MMA legend will retire.
The UFC Hall of Famer fought Jon Jones for the light-heavyweight title in 2013, but was finished after a brutal ground-and-pound in the first round.
Jones is now the UFC heavyweight champion and defended his belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.
He has since declared his interest in fighting Brazil’s MMA superstar Alex Pereira – the UFC light-heavyweight champion – in what would be a blockbuster match-up.
However, Britain’s Tom Aspinall is the current UFC interim heavyweight champion and is expected to be next in line for a title shot to unify the division.
Aspinall has been calling Jones out for months now to no avail, while Jones has admitted he would need, ‘F*** you money,’ to consider a bout with the Wigan man.
UFC President Dana White has offered a rare ‘100 per cent’ guarantee that the fight will happen, but UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed Jones wants $30million to fight Aspinall.
Offering his thoughts, Sonnen told fellow UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA.“If you wanted my boldest prediction of 2025.
“I’m actually very confident in the prediction, and that is that Jon Jones retires.
“I will tell you that Jon Jones is going to fight Tom Aspinall.
“I will tell you Jon’s going to do a lot better with Tom than some people are giving him credit for, but that’s tomorrow’s discussion.
“When that fight is done, win or lose, I do believe it will be Jon’s final appearance.”
If the UFC, who are renowned for keeping their budget tight with fighters, meets Jones’ demands then it would shatter company records.
It was reported that Brock Lesnar earned $8m for his comeback fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in 2016, which marks the highest purse received in UFC history.
The next highest purse is the $6.8m Conor McGregor earned after he was crowned the first fighter to hold two UFC belts simultaneously by knocking out Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in late 2016.
Jones’ highest-ever reported payout – $6.2m for his last outing against Miocic – comes in at No.3.
“He’s been looking for a way out,” Sonnen added, speaking on his bold prediction for 2025.
“He’s been kind of talking to the fans and seeing what do I need to do before I go.
“He thought Stipe might be that door out, but that got delayed a little bit.
“It allowed an emersion of Tom while bringing down [Francis] Ngannou and Sergei Pavlovich talk.
“I think Jon does have a pretty clear deal with the audience right now that there’s only one left for me, and I think that’s going to be Tom, and I do think that will be a goodbye for Jones.”
Michael Bisping, a former UFC champion and pioneer of British MMA, has also made some bold predictions for 2025.
The UFC Hall of Famer foresees Jones losing his UFC heavyweight title as one be one of four current champions who will be dethroned this year.
“I believe that the reason Tom isn’t fighting at [UFC] London is because Jon Jones–Tom Aspinall will go down in the biggest heavyweight fight this sport has ever seen,” he said on TNT Sports.
“Maybe the biggest fight period that this sport has ever seen.
“Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and when the dust settles: ‘Tommy Aspinall, Aspinall, Tommy Aspinall!’”
The UFC is scheduled to make its return to London on March 22 at the O2 Arena, and former welterweight champion Leon Edwards has confirmed he will headline the event.
Liverpool’s Molly McCann has been confirmed for the card, while Aspinall’s sparring partner Mick Parkin will feature too.