Jon Jones had retirement decision made up long ago: “My job was to be quiet”

Alex Pereira - English Ciryl Gane - English Dana White - English Jon Jones - English Kelsey Rivera - English Sports Tom Aspinall - English UFC - English

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Jon Jones has broken his silence regarding the timing of his UFC retirement and the criticisms swirling around it.

Having just turned 37 and vacated his heavyweight crown, the former two-division champion took to social media to set the record straight, his decision to delay retirement wasn’t driven by fear or indecision, but by personal choice and a belief in telling his story on his own terms.

Jones has been the target of intense backlash for declining a longawaited showdown with interim heavyweight king Tom Aspinall, especially after UFC President Dana White indicated the fight had been agreed before Jones pulled back and opted to retire.

The split has stirred heated debate among MMA fans and analysts.

On X, Jones shared a now-deleted message making his stance clear:

“If the fight was done, trust me, I would be fighting…Did we start negotiating at one point yes, but if I was never done. My job at the time was to sit back and be quiet about it and that’s exactly what I did. I was enjoying my life that should’ve been obvious to you guys.”

He followed up by stressing the advice he received to pause and reassess:

“I was told 1,000 times to just reconsider and just give it more time. That’s the truth.”

Jones defended his choice emphatically, revealing that the message wasn’t about dodging Aspinall, but reclaiming control over his life.

Stepping away on his own terms

Jones didn’t stop there he used the platform to dismiss detractors and highlight his ongoing hustle:

“I’m retired and allegedly have gotten in trouble again. Here’s your chance to be a harder worker than I am, this is your opportunity, let’s see what you do with it.”

He continued, “I was retired last November and I’ve been working nonstop, I’m actually working harder now that I’m not fighting…No more sweating, just using my personality and giving fans all the love that I can.”

“I’m in the entertainment game, this stuff is like WWE to me. Trolls want you to have a shitty reality, then when they really think about it, it makes them mad all over again.”

With those remarks, Jones likened his public life to a scripted show, one in which naysayers thrive on negativity, but which he met with equanimity.

He also offered his philosophical take on competition and legacy:

“Tom Brady LeBron James, you name them. Very rarely can you be really good at something and I have a bunch of people thinking how they would’ve done things differently. Even Muhammad Ali was absolutely hated by everyone at one point in his life.”

Jones‘s message is clear: he achieved more than most, faced criticism, and made his own exit-on his own terms. But what comes next?

Though he hasn’t returned to training, rumors swirl that he may dabble in entertainment, business ventures, or even explore a comeback.

A recent post hinted he is “not really retired,” igniting speculation that a new opportunity might lure him back.

Meanwhile, Aspinall prepares for the spotlight. With Jones out, he’s been elevated from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion and looks set to face a top contender in upcoming months, likely Ciryl Gane, Jailton Almeida, Alexander Volkov, or Alex Pereira.

Fans now await confirmation of his first title defense, a fight that will both define his shortterm legacy and set the tone for the heavyweight division’s future.

This news was originally published on this post .