Jon Jones to Consider UFC Retirement After His Performance in Next Stipe Miocic Fight | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Emily Baldwin It sounds like UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones' next appearance in the Octagon could be his last.
Jones, who is expected to defend his title against former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic when he completes his recovery from a torn pectoral muscle, told a fan on social media that he will decide on whether he will retire based on his performance in that fight:
BONY @JonnyBonesHonestly, it's hard to say right now, I'm gonna base a lot of that on my next performance. The options are looking crazy right now. <a href="">
Jones hasn't fought since March 2023 he defeated Ciryl Gane by first-round submission at UFC 285 to win the heavyweight title that was vacated by Francis Ngannou.
The win made Jones the eighth two-division champion in UFC history, as he held the light heavyweight title from 2011 to 2020 before vacating it. He and Miocic were scheduled to face each other at UFC 295 in November, but Jones suffered the injury less than three weeks before the event.
With a record of 27-1 (1 NC), Jones is widely considered to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time. His lone loss came by disqualification in 2009, and he dominated most of his competition during his meteoric rise to becoming a champion.
During Jones' time away from the Octagon, other stars have emerged like light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who defended his title with a spectacular second-round knockout this past Saturday at UFC 303.
While fans began clamoring for a superfight between Jones and Pereira, White made it clear that he thinks Jones is in a class of his own.
"This is the problem with the conversation that we're having here and why people aren't giving Jon Jones the respect for pound-for-pound," White said during the post-fight press conference. "This f--king guy destroyed the best heavyweight in the division. [He] easily made it look like nothing. Jon Jones is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and the greatest fighter f--king ever. Period. End of story."
If Jones' next fight is indeed his last, fans will be hoping to see him put on another dominant performance before he rides off into the sunset.
