UFC Champion Suddenly Retires Prior to Major Title Fight
One of the best mixed martial arts and UFC champions has decided to call it quits,
=Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Jon Jones (red gloves) reacts after defeating Stipe Miocic (not pictured) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Imagesas Jon “Bones” Jones has announced his retirement from the octagon. This comes as a surprise as people were expecting a fight between him and Tom Aspinall for the UFC Heavyweight Championship to unify the interim title. This came as a bit of a surprise after holding the UFC Heavyweight Championship since defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 for the vacant title, but it appears that he has fought for the last time. Let’s take a deeper dive into what happened and what this means going forward.
Jon Jones Retires as UFC Champion
The news of Jon Jones officially retiring as a UFC champion came out of left field, as the expectation was that the 37-year-old would clash with Tom Aspinall this year to determine the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. However, during a news conference in Azerbaijan, UFC Commissioner Dana White announced that the UFC champion has decided to retire from fighting.
“Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”
Later on Saturday night, Jones would post on X (previously Twitter) that he had put a lot of thought into this decision.
Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from the UFC. This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years.
From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to…
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 22, 2025
Jones retires with a 28-1 record with one no contest, but has not fought since UFC 309 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Jones has an interesting resume as he has had a handful of controversies and failed drug tests throughout his legendary career. He is the youngest fighter to win a championship in UFC, won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship twice as well as the Heavyweight Championship. Jones also holds the record for the most wins in title fights (16), successful title defenses (12), and most title fights (17) in the history of the company. It will be difficult to find a UFC champion as dominant as Jon Jones was throughout his career ever again.
