CNN
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John Jones has retired, ending his illustrious career and claims to be the best martial arts fighter of all time, UFC CEO Dana White announced at a press conference on Saturday.
“John Jones called us last night and retired. John Jones has officially retired,” White told reporters, responding to questions about the UFC heavyweight division.
“Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC,” White added.
Jones, 37, later confirmed his retirement, and posted to X, “This decision comes after a lot of reflection.”
“We look forward to continuing to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways,” he said in a statement. “Thank you for taking part in this incredible journey with me. The best hasn’t come yet.”
As for the future of the department, White said that Aspinel will be attending UFC International Fight Week next week, where he “understands what’s next.”
The prospect of Aspinall and Jones fighting each other has been hung for months, especially after Jones held the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November.
And fans were screaming more and more of such battles. Earlier this month, a petition garnered over 195,000 signatures calling for White to strip heavyweight title Jones.
Just two weeks ago, White told reporters that Jones had accepted a deal to do it but hadn’t signed the deal yet, saying he was still hoping for a fight to move on.
Jones said he would not “pull the string” of the division on June 6th at X, adding that he had no plans for the future.
He also proposed to compete with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannow.
“Tom Aspinel is a man,” White said on June 8th.
During his career, Jones accumulated 28-1-0 He recorded and became the youngest champion in UFC history at the age of 23, beating Mauriciolua to win the light heavyweight division in 2009.
After dominating that division for years, he changed his body and won the UFC heavyweight title in 2023, beating France’s Ciryl Gane after three years of absence from the sport.
But outside the octagon, he leaves a complicated legacy with legal issues and two stops after testing positive for a banned substance.
