Jon Jones breaks silence on retirement rumors, fans react: "Just vacate old man"

Jon Jones continues to send mixed signals about his future in the UFC.

Over the last few months, the MMA community has become impatient with official news about ufc-return" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">what's next for Jones.

'Bones' defended his UFC heavyweight title for the first time in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic. He's since been inconsistent about whether or not he will fight interim champion Tom Aspinall before retiring.

Earlier today, a fan sent the following comment to Jones on X:

"How does it feel to be retired ?"

The UFC heavyweight champion responded by saying:

"I don’t know if I wanna call it retired, I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show em. I’ve had many breaks throughout my career, my identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways."

Fans reacted to Jones' latest update about his future:

"Just vacate old man"

"Just stop holding the belt hostage"

"Just vacate the title admit retirement and you won’t have to see a British animal in your nightmares any longer"

"Pop out & show Tom who’s the goat of the UFC & HW"

Fan comments

Check out Jon Jones' post below:

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Jon Jones claims he told the UFC his plans "a long time ago"

Jon Jones has been featured in various MMA headlines over the last week due to a barrage of responses to fans on X. One of them had this to say to the UFC heavyweight champion:

"Yes otherwise you’d have vacated the belt a long time ago because you don’t plan to fight Tom"

Jones responded with the following message:

"Yall barkin up the wrong tree, I told the UFC my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven’t shared them with you guys yet."

Check out Jon Jones' post below:

As per reports, Jones initially asked for more money before accepting the matchup against Aspinall. The contract negotiations have since become more confusing and less public.