Jon Jones rejects retirement, wants to fight in 2025
Jon Jones will fight in 2025 if everything goes according to his plan.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion and current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has announced his plans for the next stage of his career and it’s not retirement.
Jones has toyed with hanging up the gloves after his win over Stipe Miocic but has since updated fans on a new plan that includes fighting again.
“Right now, the UFC and I, we’re in negotiations,” Jones told The Schmo. “We’re in talks to see what happens next. I’m back in the gym. I’m training. I feel really great. The team supports me and they’re behind me. We’ll just be ready for whatever opportunity comes our way.”
Though he was clear about his desire to keep fighting, it’s still not clear if his next fight will be with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Jones has been incredibly vocal about not wanting to fight Apinall and even asked the UFC for “f*ck you money” to fight him.
When asked just what that figure is, Jones was coy saying, “There is (a figure in mind), but I’m not going to discuss that publicly.”
Jones sometimes takes years off between fights, sometimes that’s due to legal issues, PED suspensions, injuries or by choice. But it seems he’s content with a quick turnaround this time.
“Yes, I will be competing in 2025, more than likely,” he said.
Jones won the UFC heavyweight title in March 2023 when he submitted Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes. He was then injured and forced to the sidelines while Aspinall won (and defended) the interim heavyweight title. Aspinall is the rightful next opponent and he’s been vocal about making the fight happen with Jones.
Aspinall confirmed he was in negotiations with someone, though he would not confirm whether that person was Jones.
“Yeah, we’re in negotiations right now. That’s the honest answer,” Aspinall said on his YouTube page. “So, we don’t know when the fight is going to be. But I’ll be ready to go whenever. I’m back in the gym now. I’m back in the gym training, as always.”
“I’ll be ready to fight when they let me know. Until then, I’ll be improving, I’ll be getting better. So, no great rush on that. Obviously, I want to fight as soon as possible. But, right now, we’re just waiting on a date. That’s it.”
