One former two-division UFC champion thinks a career in Hollywood is on the cards for Jon Jones.
The 37-year-old recently brought his career to an end, with Dana White announcing Jones’ retirement after a phone call with the now-former UFC heavyweight champion this past weekend.
The Rochester native recorded just one defense of the heavyweight title in over two years, and that didn’t come against then-interim titleholder Tom Aspinall. ‘Bones’ frequently pushed away calls to unify the belts, even laughing off a viral petition calling for the UFC to strip Jones.
With that in mind, the light heavyweight legend hasn’t been given the fondest of farewells by many in the fanbase. Nevertheless, most will no doubt still be intrigued by what lies ahead for the MMA GOAT contender.
One recent suggestion from another former two-division UFC champion could come as a surprise…
Henry Cejudo says Jon Jones could pursue Hollywood career after UFC retirement
Ex-bantamweight and flyweight UFC champ Henry Cejudo recently reacted to Jones’ retirement confirmation during an episode of his Pound 4 Pound podcast alongside Kamaru Usman.
‘Triple C’ launched a staunch defense of Jones’ decision to walk away, suggesting he could boost his income with fresh ventures away from the cage.
One of those mentioned by Cejudo, interestingly, was a potential career in the movie industry.
“There’s so many windows of opportunity, and doors are gonna open for Jon that people have no idea,” Cejudo said.
“There’s real estate, there’s him being an ambassador for big companies…I mean, there’s Hollywood. There’s making movies, man. Jon has that persona where he could potentially get into Hollywood.
“There’s easier ways to make money (than fighting) for a guy like Jon if he has the right people pushing him,” Cejudo added. “He could truly make (the same) money outside the cage, if not even more.”
The likes of Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping, and Georges St-Pierre have appeared in films. Bisping was even on set when UFC called to offer him the short-notice title opportunity that ultimately saw him shock the world and become middleweight champion.
One thing that could potentially stand in the way of a Hollywood future for Jones is his frequent legal issues. The latest emerged on the same night White announced Jones’ retirement, with a criminal summons accusing the UFC star of leaving the scene of an accident.
Jon Jones hits back at UFC retirement critics
Jones has clearly been seeing the critical takes that spurred Cejudo and Usman into defensive action on their podcast.
The 37-year-old hit back in a post on his Instagram Stories, bashing those who are attempting to dictate how a “grown man” should handle his career.
“I guess everybody else gets to retire — just not when you’re still dominating. Funny how that works.
“Forget personal goals, forget business ventures. Some folks really believe you should fight until they say you’ve had enough. Wild.
“Imagine thinking a grown man shouldn’t control his own destiny.”