Jon Jones says he is done fighting, after months of lobbying for a place on the upcoming White House card ended with Dana White shutting the door on his bid. In a recent vlog filmed by Red Corner MMA, the former two-division UFC champion said, “My gloves are hung up, I’m chilling these days,” and added, “You have ‘Business Jon Jones’, no more fighter Jon Jones. The businessman.”
The comments land after Jones was left off the ufc white house event entirely, despite pushing hard for a slot. He later said he suffers from severe hip arthritis and accused White and the UFC matchmakers of lowballing him in contract talks, alleging he asked for more than $15 million to fight on the card. Since the fallout from UFC Freedom 250, Jones has publicly called for his release from the promotion, but no move has been made by UFC brass to let him out.
That leaves the future of one of the sport’s biggest names in limbo at a moment when some fans and pundits had still hoped for a comeback fight against Alex Pereira or Tom Aspinall. Jones has not closed the door completely in public, but his latest remarks sounded far closer to retirement than negotiation, especially after White made it clear the White House event would go on without him.
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If he is finished for good, Jones says his next focus would be helping Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling who remains unbeaten in his young MMA career. For now, though, the story is not about a comeback. It is about a former champion who wanted one more stage, could not get the price he wanted, and now says he is ready to walk away from fighting altogether.