Jon Jones may never return to fighting and fans seem to be okay with that. At least that’s what a growing online petition suggests.
Right now the biggest fight to make for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a heavyweight title unification bout between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall. However, it’s been way more difficult than originally expected to get the fight signed. That’s mostly due to Jones’ monetary and scheduling requirements.
In any case, fans are not convinced Jones will fight again. The UFC heavyweight champion has already solidified his legacy as the best fighter in MMA history and has no real reason to keep fighting other than making more money and padding his resume. Some have called him a “duck” for not booking his fight against Aspinall, but even that doesn’t seem to bother Jones.
Earlier this week, Jones revealed that he doesn’t know what the future holds and can’t guarantee he’ll return to fighting. It’s not what hardcore fight fans want to hear, but maybe it is time to talk about stripping “Bones.”
“I don’t know what life holds as far as fighting and competing,” Jones told Vic Blends when asked if he’ll fight for UFC again. “I do feel like I’ll be a lifelong martial artist whether I’m coaching others or taking exhibition matches and things like that. There’s a lot of great competition still in the UFC.
“I do view myself as more than a fighter and being in my position, I feel like I have a lot more options than a lot of the other fighters as far as the ability to leave and return and things like that.”
If Jones does in fact decide to keep fighting he doesn’t seem to be in any rush to return to the cage. With fight promotions to handle and trips to Thailand at his disposal, “Bones” has a ton of options outside of the cage to keep himself busy. Only time will tell if he’s actually serious about returning to UFC or if he decides to call it a career.
“Right now I’m just focusing on love, happiness, kindness, we’re in the quarter-century mark and this year should be a really special year,” said Jones about 2025. “This year I’m saying yes to more opportunities. I’m traveling more. I’m consciously being kinder to people and that’s just the way of my mind right now is just love and kindness and peace and focusing on family and focusing on me, my aura.”
