Former UFC star Jon Jones continues to feed the MMA rumor mill less than a month after his retirement from fighting.
The UFC’s ex-light heavyweight and heavyweight king last stepped into the Octagon last November at UFC 309, where Jones stopped heavyweight great Stipe Miocic to defend his heavyweight belt for the first time after he submitted Ciryl Gane to win the vacant strap the previous year.
Fans were hopeful that Jones’ next outing would be a heavyweight title unification fight with interim titleholder Tom Aspinall, but the future Hall of Famer’s heavyweight career only ended up lasting two fights when Dana White announced after UFC Baku that “Bones” had officially retired.
Jones’ decision to retire didn’t come as a massive surprise given how noncommittal he’d been about fighting Aspinall following his title defense against Miocic, but it only took a couple of weeks before the 37-year-old started to fuel rumors of a return by claiming that he’d re-entered the UFC fighter testing pool.
READ MORE: UFC fan favorite teases next fight, seeks redemption in Paris
White will presumably be asked about the truth of Jones’ claim if the UFC CEO is present at UFC Nashville this weekend, and ahead of that event “Bones” has once again teased the idea of a comeback with his latest statement on social media.
It feels nice to be the hunter and not the hunted for once.
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) July 7, 2025
“It feels nice to be the hunter and not the hunted for once”
The former two-division champion’s initial comeback talk began after he got word about Donald Trump’s claim that there’d be a UFC fight and/or event at the White House next 4th of July, and Jones once again expressed interest in that idea with his comment on a fan-made graphic depicting a win over Aspinall.
READ MORE: UFC analyst debates Ilia Topuria’s pound-for-pound ranking
It didn’t take long after Aspinall was promoted to UFC heavyweight champion that the 32-year-old teased plans for his first undisputed title defense, but so far there’s been no confirmation from the UFC on who his opponent will be.
Longtime MMA fans certainly wouldn’t be shocked if Jones decides to end his retirement and try to derail whatever the UFC currently has lined up for the heavyweight title, and if Aspinall does fight before the end of the year then there’s no doubt that “Bones” will have something to say about it.
• PFL Europe fighter flattens opponent with jaw-dropping KO of the Year candidate
• Ex-UFC champ offers surprising pick for Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
• UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski reveals key to beating Ilia Topuria
• Jon Anik suggests significant change that could help UFC in a big way
Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.
