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Jon Jones Announces Retirement Amidst Raging Debate Over UFC Heavyweight Title Scenario
Jon Jones announces retirement, sparking heated debate over the future of the UFC heavyweight title. Fans and analysts weigh in on potential successors and matchups.
Jon Jones has announced his retirement from the UFC. The UFC heavyweight champion is scheduled to face Stipe Miocic to defend his heavyweight belt. This was a fight that was supposed to happen last year but a torn pec from Jon Jones prevented the bout from materializing. And now, after the fight is done, Jon Jones, in all probability, will hang up his MMA gloves.
In a recent update on his Instagram, Jones posted, “Fun fact, after this year, Jon Jones will never have to work again, Retired at age 37. Winning.” While this might be a nostalgic moment for UFC fans, the announcement will surely heighten the tensions between Tom Aspinall and Dana White further. As per the schedule, Jon Jones will probably be facing off against Miocic in November. Thus, it is unlikely for him to appear in any more matches this year.
And if ‘Bones’ really retires in 2025, a gaping hole will be left in the UFC heavyweight division. Tom Aspinall has been waiting for months now as the interim champion. Having beaten Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall thought he would get his match with the undisputed champion right away. Unfortunately, that did not happen as Jones seemed unwilling to fight Aspinall and instead remained fixated on the Stipe Miocic fight.
When the UFC confirmed the match, a significant portion of the fans were upset and questioned the credibility of the fight. Miocic will turn 42 soon and has not fought since his devastating KO loss to Francis Ngannou. Thus, in all probability, Miocic will retire even if he manages to turn the tables against Jones. Dana White also stated that Miocic will definitely retire after the Jon Jones fight. This has only escalated the controversy about why the UFC made the match official.
With Jones announcing his return, Aspinall will be stuck in the middle. With no active champion on the roster, he will have to wait for what the UFC decides. Such a fiasco has led former UFC athletes to chime in with their takes on the matter. Former icon, Ben Askren mentioned that Dana White must have some kind of ‘dirt’ on Jon Jones. Askren opined that it was for this reason, White was putting up with Jones’ inactivity and whimsical behaviors.
UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev too, voiced his support for a Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones fight recently. Thus, with a lot of questions left to be answered, it remains to be seen how well the UFC will handle the delicate situation in days to come.
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