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It has been more than a year since Jon Jones last set foot inside the UFC octagon. The light heavyweight kingpin marked his 11th title defense in February 2020, with a somewhat controversial win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.
While a one-year hiatus may not necessarily be cited as prolonged inactivity, things are bound to get speculative regarding a fighter's future when someone like Jon Jones is involved in the discussion.
To answer the question, Jon 'Bones' Jones is still a UFC fighter and he continues to remain one of the biggest superstars in the promotion. The 33-year-old vacated his light heavyweight strap in August last year and decided to move up a weight class to heavyweight.
Jon Jones has handled the challenge of every top contender in the 205-pound division throughout his 13-year long UFC career. Fittingly enough, he realized there is nothing left for him to prove as a light heavyweight, which led to him wanting to move up.
Jones has got his name etched forever in the UFC record books, and despite achieving everything there is in the realm of MMA, he is still looking to further his legacy - now, in the heavyweight division.
Why did Jon Jones relinquish his light heavyweight title?
Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight championship last year because he didn't want to "slow down the division," he said in an interview with Bleacher Report. Jones stated that he was only offering his former light heavyweight competitors an opportunity to stake their claim on the title that he held for so long.
"The reason why I decided to vacate the light heavyweight belt and not hang onto it is that I knew my move to heavyweight was going to take a really long time. I didn't want to be one of those athletes to slow down the division. I feel like I've held onto the light heavyweight championship for so long - I've ruined so many people's dreams of being the light heavyweight champion - and now it's time for someone else to have it," said Jon Jones.
Jon Jones is currently bulking up to potentially fight in a heavyweight clash later this year. He is likely to challenge the winner of Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou fight which is set to take place on March 27 at UFC 260.
