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CNN
25-06-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Jon Jones, widely considered the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, announces retirement
CNN — Jon Jones has retired, ending an illustrious career in which he laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, UFC chief executive Dana White announced at a press conference on Saturday. 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones has officially retired,' White told reporters, responding to questions about the UFC heavyweight division, which has been in stasis for months, waiting for Jones to decide whether to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a unification fight. 'Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC,' White added. Jones, 37, later confirmed his retirement, posting on X that 'this decision comes after a lot of reflection.' 'I'm excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways,' he said in his statement. 'Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.' As for the future of the division, White said that Aspinall will be attending UFC International Fight Week next week where they will 'figure out what's next.' The prospect of Aspinall and Jones fighting each other had hung over the heavyweight division for months, especially after Jones retained his heavyweight title in November against Stipe Miocic. And fans were increasingly clamoring for such a fight. Earlier this month, a petition calling for White to strip Jones of the heavyweight title gathered more than 195,000 signatures. Just two weeks ago, White said he still expected the fight to go ahead, telling reporters that Jones had accepted a deal to do it but had not yet signed a contract. For his part, Jones said on X on June 6 that he doesn't 'pull the strings' in the division, adding that he hadn't worked out his future plans. He also suggested fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, a possibility that White quickly shut down. 'Tom Aspinall is the guy,' White said on June 8. 'We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. You can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight.' During his career, Jones accumulated a 28-1-0 record, and became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23 when he defeated Maurício Rua to win the light heavyweight division in 2009. After dominating that division for years, he transformed his body and won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023, defeating France's Ciryl Gane following a three-year absence from the sport. Outside the octagon, however, he leaves a legacy complicated by legal issues and two suspensions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for banned substances.
CNN
22-06-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Jon Jones, widely considered greatest mixed martial artist of all time, announces retirement
Jon Jones has retired, ending an illustrious career in which he laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, UFC chief executive Dana White announced at a press conference on Saturday. 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones has officially retired,' White told reporters, responding to questions about the UFC heavyweight division, which has been in stasis for months, waiting for Jones to decide whether to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a unification fight. 'Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC,' White added. Jones, 37, later confirmed his retirement, posting on X that 'this decision comes after a lot of reflection.' 'I'm excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways,' he said in his statement. 'Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.' As for the future of the division, White said that Aspinall will be attending UFC International Fight Week next week where they will 'figure out what's next.' The prospect of Aspinall and Jones fighting each other had hung over the heavyweight division for months, especially after Jones retained his heavyweight title in November against Stipe Miocic. And fans were increasingly clamoring for such a fight. Earlier this month, a petition calling for White to strip Jones of the heavyweight title gathered more than 195,000 signatures. Just two weeks ago, White said he still expected the fight to go ahead, telling reporters that Jones had accepted a deal to do it but had not yet signed a contract. For his part, Jones said on X on June 6 that he doesn't 'pull the strings' in the division, adding that he hadn't worked out his future plans. He also suggested fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, a possibility that White quickly shut down. 'Tom Aspinall is the guy,' White said on June 8. 'We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. You can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight.' During his career, Jones accumulated a 28-1-0 record, and became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23 when he defeated Maurício Rua to win the light heavyweight division in 2009. After dominating that division for years, he transformed his body and won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023, defeating France's Ciryl Gane following a three-year absence from the sport. Outside the octagon, however, he leaves a legacy complicated by legal issues and two suspensions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for banned substances.
CNN
22-06-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Jon Jones, widely considered greatest mixed martial artist of all time, announces retirement
Jon Jones has retired, ending an illustrious career in which he laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, UFC chief executive Dana White announced at a press conference on Saturday. 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones has officially retired,' White told reporters, responding to questions about the UFC heavyweight division, which has been in stasis for months, waiting for Jones to decide whether to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a unification fight. 'Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC,' White added. Jones, 37, later confirmed his retirement, posting on X that 'this decision comes after a lot of reflection.' 'I'm excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways,' he said in his statement. 'Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.' As for the future of the division, White said that Aspinall will be attending UFC International Fight Week next week where they will 'figure out what's next.' The prospect of Aspinall and Jones fighting each other had hung over the heavyweight division for months, especially after Jones retained his heavyweight title in November against Stipe Miocic. And fans were increasingly clamoring for such a fight. Earlier this month, a petition calling for White to strip Jones of the heavyweight title gathered more than 195,000 signatures. Just two weeks ago, White said he still expected the fight to go ahead, telling reporters that Jones had accepted a deal to do it but had not yet signed a contract. For his part, Jones said on X on June 6 that he doesn't 'pull the strings' in the division, adding that he hadn't worked out his future plans. He also suggested fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, a possibility that White quickly shut down. 'Tom Aspinall is the guy,' White said on June 8. 'We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. You can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight.' During his career, Jones accumulated a 28-1-0 record, and became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23 when he defeated Maurício Rua to win the light heavyweight division in 2009. After dominating that division for years, he transformed his body and won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023, defeating France's Ciryl Gane following a three-year absence from the sport. Outside the octagon, however, he leaves a legacy complicated by legal issues and two suspensions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for banned substances.
CNN
22-06-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Jon Jones, widely considered greatest mixed martial artist of all time, announces retirement
Jon Jones has retired, ending an illustrious career in which he laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, UFC chief executive Dana White announced at a press conference on Saturday. 'Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones has officially retired,' White told reporters, responding to questions about the UFC heavyweight division, which has been in stasis for months, waiting for Jones to decide whether to face interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a unification fight. 'Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC,' White added. Jones, 37, later confirmed his retirement, posting on X that 'this decision comes after a lot of reflection.' 'I'm excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways,' he said in his statement. 'Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.' As for the future of the division, White said that Aspinall will be attending UFC International Fight Week next week where they will 'figure out what's next.' The prospect of Aspinall and Jones fighting each other had hung over the heavyweight division for months, especially after Jones retained his heavyweight title in November against Stipe Miocic. And fans were increasingly clamoring for such a fight. Earlier this month, a petition calling for White to strip Jones of the heavyweight title gathered more than 195,000 signatures. Just two weeks ago, White said he still expected the fight to go ahead, telling reporters that Jones had accepted a deal to do it but had not yet signed a contract. For his part, Jones said on X on June 6 that he doesn't 'pull the strings' in the division, adding that he hadn't worked out his future plans. He also suggested fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, a possibility that White quickly shut down. 'Tom Aspinall is the guy,' White said on June 8. 'We've been talking to this kid forever about it. It's his fight. You can't make people fight. If Jon doesn't want to fight, we can't make him fight. We can try to make him fight, we can throw things at him that inspire him to want to fight.' During his career, Jones accumulated a 28-1-0 record, and became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23 when he defeated Maurício Rua to win the light heavyweight division in 2009. After dominating that division for years, he transformed his body and won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023, defeating France's Ciryl Gane following a three-year absence from the sport. Outside the octagon, however, he leaves a legacy complicated by legal issues and two suspensions from the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for banned substances.
RNZ News
22-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
UFC legend Jon Jones retires
Jon Jones' retirement from MMA has been announced. Photo: AFP Jon Jones, a legend in mixed martial arts, has retired and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been elevated to the undisputed titleholder, according to UFC president and chief executive Dana White. "Jon Jones called us last night and retired," White said during a press conference in Azerbaijan, where UFC Fight Night was held. "Jon Jones is officially retired, Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC." Jones, who turns 38 on 19 July, compiled a 28-1 record (11 TKOs) in capturing UFC titles at light-heavyweight and heavyweight. He was in line for a highly anticipated unification bout with Aspinall, 32, who became the UFC's interim heavyweight champion in November 2023, when an injured Jones couldn't fight. Englishman Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 11 TKOs, 1 K0, 8-1 UFC) posted a message on Instagram after White's announcement. "For you fans. It's time to get this heavyweight division going," wrote Aspinall, 32. "An active undisputed champion." Jones last fought on 16 November, 2024, winning by a third-round TKO over Stipe Miocic. Jones has won six consecutive bouts since a no contest with Daniel Cormier on 29 July, 2017. White's announcement countered Jones' own words on Thursday, when he appeared on the 'Full Send' podcast. "I don't want to say that I'm retired, because fighting's in my blood," Jones said on the podcast, per media reports. "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 has had a chequered history out of the Octagon, where he became the youngest UFC titleholder at age 23, with a win over Mauricio Rua for the 205-pound crown. Jones, who is 16-0 in UFC title bouts, has dealt with legal issues, as well as a year-long suspension in 2016 for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs - a result he disputes. - Reuters
