Jon Jones has officially stepped away from the UFC, with Dana White breaking the news at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference. Jones called White last night to make the news official.
For months, the UFC has been trying to set up a heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Jones last fought on November 16th, 2024. Before this, he fought on March 4th, 2023, and it had been since February 8th, 2020, before this.
Jones will leave the sport as one of the most accomplished fighters of all time and continue to be named the pound-for-pound best fighter in history by Dana White. He hangs up his gloves with a 28-1-0 record with 11 knockouts and seven submissions. He became the youngest UFC Champion at the age of 23 years and 243 days back in 2011, which is a record that still stands. Jones also has tallied the most title fights in the UFC with 14 and won all 14 of these, which is also a record. He also had the longest light-heavyweight championship reign, from 2011-2013, and the longest light-heavyweight win streak with 13 consecutive unbeaten fights in the division. Jones retires with the most wins in the light-heavyweight division overall.
Tom Aspinall last fought on July 27th, 2024, when he defeated Curtis Blaydes via knockout. Conversations surrounding setting up the bout with Jones have gone on for over two years to this point. While it may not be the pathway he envisioned for himself, Aspinall is now the heavyweight champion of the UFC.
Aspinall has been vocal that he is willing to fight anyone, and the belt will be put on the line in the near future. The 32-year-old has had two title fights thus far in his career and produced first-round knockouts in each event.
The most likely opponent for Aspinall following Jones’ retirement would be Ciryl Gane. At 35 years old, Gane is the top-ranked UFC heavyweight outside of Jones and Aspinall, thanks to his recent wins over Sergei Spivac and Alexander Volkov. Jones defeated Gane by submission in the first round of their 2023 fight, but he would be an interesting stylistic clash with Aspinall.
Alexander Volkov will also be in the discussion, with his loss to Gane by decision being one of the most controversial in recent UFC history. This is far from a stain on his impressive resume that includes 49 pro fights and a 38-11 overall record. Volkov also suffered a first-round submission to Aspinall back in 2022, but the division is light on contenders right now, and he could get another chance.
While he does not rank in the top-five contenders right now, Jailton Almeida is making his climb up the heavyweight division and appears itching for a title chance. He is coming off two straight wins over Alexandr Rommanov and Sergei Spivac, with each being a convincing performance. Gane has already had three title fights, while Almeida has yet to receive a chance, and he has never fought Aspinall, which could help his case.
Unfortunately, none of these options appeals to the box office the same way as Jones vs. Aspinall would. But the show must go on, and the UFC is plenty familiar with adjusting on the fly.
For the time being, Tom Aspinall holds -110 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to be champion on December 31st, 2026. Expect White and the rest of the UFC to have some news on the horizon in the coming weeks, with Jones’ UFC career officially over.
