In June, the UFC’s heavyweight division finally received some long-overdue clarity.
Dana White announced that Jon Jones had confirmed his retirement to the promotion, meaning that Tom Aspinall was promoted to the undisputed champion.
‘Bones’ has certainly been on the receiving end of plenty of criticism in recent times but that didn’t stop people from celebrating his remarkable career.
That was until Jones seemingly reversed his decision by teasing his return following the UFC’s announcement that they will be hosting an event at the White House in 2026.
A new update shows that the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion clearly intends on sticking to his word.
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Jon Jones submits his first UFC drug test since re-entering the testing pool in retirement U-turn
Dana White may have denied Jon Jones’ involvement at the White House event next year but that doesn’t look to have derailed the former champion’s plans.
Jones seemingly remained optimistic about his chances of returning for the event by acknowledging that Independence Day in 2026 is still a long way out.
Another former UFC superstar appears to be following a similar path as he plots his own historic comeback for what would likely be the biggest MMA event of all time.
Conor McGregor submitted a drug test after re-entering the testing pool, showing that ‘The Notorious’ is serious about finally stepping back inside the Octagon.
While it was already confirmed that Jones had also re-entered the testing pool, the latest update to the UFC’s Anti-Doping database shows that ‘Bones’ has joined ‘The Notorious’ in submitting a test.
The database was updated on August 8 at 9 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, showing that Jones has submitted a test in the past seven days, bringing his total for the year up to three.
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Jon Jones recently claimed that he still feels like a UFC champion
While Jon Jones has accomplished so much inside the Octagon, there was a lot of criticism during his heavyweight title reign.
That is sure to become a talking point once again if ‘Bones’ does look to be set for a comeback, especially if he isn’t lined up to face Tom Aspinall.
In a recent post on social media, Jones caused more conversation among the fans by claiming that he still feels like a UFC champion even after retiring.
“Man, we should’ve stamped Forever Champion on it,” Jones wrote on X. “After everything I’ve done in the UFC so far, I still wake up every morning feeling like the champ of the world. That’s a feeling no one can ever take away from me.”
When he was asked in an interview about who he could potentially face, Jones said that he’d want to face whoever the heavyweight champion is at that point.