UFC President Dana White has disputed Jon Jones`s assertion that he retired from mixed martial arts several months ago. Speaking after UFC 317, White addressed recent tweets from Jones where the former heavyweight champion stated he informed the promotion of his retirement following his victory over Stipe Miocic but was repeatedly urged to reconsider.
While Jones acknowledged discussions about potentially fighting Tom Aspinall, he firmly denied that an agreement was ever finalized, contrasting with White`s prior statement that the bout was “done” before Jones`s sudden retirement announcement. Jones tweeted, “I was told 1,000 times to just reconsider and just give it more time. That’s the truth… Did we start negotiating at one point yes, but [it] was never done.”
White, however, refuted these claims directly when questioned at the post-fight press conference. “That’s not true,” White stated regarding Jones`s claim of retiring last November. “I’m telling you the truth. Believe who you want to believe.”
Disagreements between White and Jones are not uncommon, but this latest exchange comes as Jones appears to have genuinely stepped away from the sport. Despite their differing accounts of the timeline, the outcome is the same: Jon Jones has relinquished his title and retired, leaving Tom Aspinall as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
White declined to speculate on Aspinall`s next opponent, such as a potential fight against Ciryl Gane, which Aspinall has expressed interest in. The heavyweight division is now moving forward post-Jones.
Marcus Blakely