Jon Jones, the current UFC heavyweight champion, is contemplating retirement. He has hinted on several occasions that his upcoming bout with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16 might be his final fight. Jones reiterated this stance during a recent public appearance at UFC 306, confirming his intentions to step away from the sport after facing Miocic.
“I believe this will be my final fight,” Jones stated. “Most likely.”
At 37 years old, Jones secured the heavyweight title by defeating Ciryl Gane decisively at UFC 285 in March 2023. Following this victory, he took a break from fighting. His scheduled matchup against Miocic at Madison Square Garden was postponed due to a Jones injury.
In Jones’ absence, Tom Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title by besting Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. Aspinall further solidified his position by defeating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July.
While there have been talks about a potential showdown between Jones and Aspinall, Jones has underscored his singular focus on the upcoming fight with Miocic. UFC President Dana White has also dismissed any notions of Jones diverting his attention to a unification bout with Aspinall instead of the UFC 309 main event.
Jones made history as the youngest UFC champion at 23 years old. He successfully defended the light heavyweight title 11 times, with his only official loss being a disqualification. Despite not losing a fight to relinquish the title, Jones had it taken away twice due to off-cage incidents in 2015 and a contract disagreement in 2020 before transitioning to heavyweight.
