UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones doesn’t believe his fighting career is down to two options — fight Tom Aspinall or completely retire.
Jones’ potential unification fight with Aspinall has long been among the leading discussions in the mixed martial arts world, as the uncertainty surrounding the future of the heavyweight title picture continues to grow.
After pursuing a rearranged clash with Stipe Miocic over unifying the championships, Jones has continued to dismiss Aspinall. That has left the Brit with the unwanted record of being the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history.
And as if things couldn’t get more concerning for those wanting to see Jones and Aspinall share the Octagon, the GOAT contender has now mentioned the possibility of other matches.
Jon Jones could leave UFC and accept ‘exhibition matches’
During a recent appearance on DeepCut with VicBlends, Jones was once again asked to address his fighting future and the possibility of one last walk to the Octagon.
‘Bones’ made no mention of Aspinall or the current title picture in the heavyweight division. Instead, he spoke about the possibility of leaving the UFC and engaging in “exhibition” fights.
“You know, I don’t know what life holds as far as fighting and competing,” Jones said. “I do feel like I will be a lifelong martial artist, whether I’m coaching others or taking exhibition matches.
“There’s a lot of great competition in the UFC, [but] I do view myself as more than a fighter. Being in my position, I feel like I have a lot more options than a lot of the other fighters as far as the ability to leave and return, and things like that.”
Floyd Mayweather Jr. notably followed his professional retirement with a slew of exhibition bouts against YouTubers, online personalities, and fighters from other sports.
It seems Jones could be set to follow suit.
Petition for UFC to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title soars toward 150,000 signatures
While Jones still has a loyal group of supporters, large portions of the MMA fanbase are making their voices heard.
With ‘Bones’ continuing to dismiss calls for him to unify the heavyweight titles against Aspinall, some fans took matters into their own hands by creating a petition on change.org.
The petition calls for the UFC to strip Jones of the heavyweight title.
“Jon Jones is now the longest reigning champion in UFC heavyweight history and has only fought 2 times in that period,” the ‘issue’ section reads.
“There is a clear interim champion, Tom Aspinall, who has defended his interim championship belt. Aspinall is ready to fight Jones. Jones refuses to fight him.
“Therefore, we as fans must let Dana White know: It is time to strip Jon Jones of the heavyweight title. He clearly has no intentions of fighting anytime soon.”
After attracting a few thousand signatures in its first week, the petition suddenly went viral and has now been signed by just over 144,000 furious fans at the time of writing.