Jon Jones is content lounging on the sidelines. Jones has only fought once since beating Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship in March 2023. Amid mounting pressure to unify the heavyweight titles with interim champion Tom Aspinall, Jones claims that fighting isn’t a current priority for him.
Everyone but Jones is impatiently waiting for the heavyweight title unifier. Aspinall is frustrated by the delay, fans are petitioning to have Jones stripped and UFC CEO Dana White imposed a loose deadline to finalize terms. Jones, 37, isn’t rushed.
“I don’t want to say that I’m retired because fighting’s in my blood,” Jones told the “Full Send” podcast. “Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it my whole life at a very high level and when the itch comes back — and if it comes back — then I’ll do it with my whole heart, do it to the best of my abilities.”
“I think I will fight again. Where the future of combat sports is going, it’s going to be amazing when I pop back up. “
Jones addressed the mounting criticism against him, claiming to be a company man whose role is to take the fall.
“I’m a company guy and there are a lot of things that are happening behind the scenes where my job is just to sit and be still and take the punishment,” Jones said.
“My job for the UFC is to do what’s right for the company. I could easily just say I’m not fighting. My job is to chill and that’s what I’m doing.”
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Jones and interviewer Kyle Forgeard were visibly intoxicated during the interview. They admitted on-camera to having several drinks before and after recording. At one point, Jones both supported and criticized Aspinall, while driving more wedges into their potential fight.
“I think he’s awesome,” Jones said. “I think he should go on and have a wonderful career.
“I don’t think he needs me. I think when you want something bad enough and if you get it, it can be the worst thing that ever happened to you.”
Aspinall and fans are accusing Jones of ducking the fight, a narrative Jones fueled at the interview’s conclusion. When asked what it would take to fight Aspinall, Jones abruptly ended the interview and walked off.
“You said something really wild and off the cuff,” Jones said, laughing uncomfortably. “I’ll see you guys later.”
