In recent months, Jon Jones has been a large topic of conversation in the MMA community. Mostly, because of his continual evasion of a fight with Interim Heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. However, I was announced on June 21, 2025, in a Dana White post-fight press conference in Azerbaijan that Jon Jones retired. It was then announced that the Heavyweight title would go straight to Tom Aspinall.
In it of itself, this would be massive news. A chapter in the book of Jon Jones that is a befitting end to an embattled star of the UFC. Yet, this book has an epilogue. The Albuquerque Journal reported on June 21, that on the prior Tuesday they had learned about a criminal summons accusing Jones of a hit and run in February.1 For the uninitiated, this is not the first time Jon Jones has been involved in vehicular drama. Nor is it the only legal scandal related to Jones.2 As a fighter, he has also done his best to fill his record with scandals.3 Simply put, Jones is not new to the news. It is unclear whether the UFC knew about this particular article, or of the traffic incident at all prior to the report. My conspiratorial Spider-senses are tingling but I suppress them.
“It doesn’t matter” I tell myself. Truthfully, it doesn’t.
This is a much larger issue with Jones as a whole and as an operator in the UFC. The UFC exists to build fighters name and images to sell pay-per-views. Historically, Jon Jones, has been one of their best employees – financially. He has also been their one of their most problematic. Therefore, the UFC have a decision to make. How do you value a fighter, that is a risk to book (anywhere), but will get people to buy PPVs? For you or I, we could pass on the money. Not the noble business genius Dana White though. Dana has made every excuse in the world to keep Jon Jones on the UFC roster. To keep Jones active, means that there is potential interest in mega fights with him. Aspinall, should have been the crux of that plan (and it would have sold like hotcakes). Jones is very disinterested in these fights though. He wants to protect his record and “legacy” while calling himself the GOAT. Dodging two, huge money fights in Francis Ngannou and Aspinall in his time as a Heavyweight. Jones had said before he even fought Stipe that he would not fight Aspinall.4 Saying that, “Aspinall is not nobody; but does not deserve it” and “I want my legacy to be that of someone who fought champions”. I take several issues with these statements:
- Aspinall was Interim Champion. Technically, fighting Aspinall is fighting a champion (dumbass).
- Calling Tom undeserving or “nobody” is unhinged. Aspinall has absolute dynamite in his hands. None of his fights have made it to the third round in the UFC. Aspinall has only lost one time in the UFC, due to him blowing his knee 15 seconds into the first round. In 8 UFC wins, Aspinall has 7 performance bonuses. Earning a finish in all 8 of his fights. He is on a ridiculous tear. To insinuate this run does not befit your legacy is disrespectful to the highest degree. Also, it’s a pathetic application of “legacy” as a concept. By acknowledging your legacy as a reason to not want to lose, defeats the purpose. Your legacy in fighting is you and who you fought. You make other people’s legacies regardless of whether you win or lose. Fighters have talked about losing to other guys, knowing what they had to do different and how that led to them being champions. By denying someone a chance “due to legacy” is antithetical to the spirit of fighting. You are denying them legacy, because yours is superior? It doesn’t work that way, it never has. You fight who is in front of you for legacy. If you are champion, that person will be the next best person in the promotion. This is the best fighter for you to fight right now, and you said no (twice). That is your legacy. The man Aspinall retired without even fighting.
- Aspinall has talked about how he feels like he “has not shown all of his game” in the UFC because of his short fights. This is part of the underlying problem for Jon Jones. All he knows Aspinall has power, that’s bad. But the fact that he doesn’t have film on Aspinall, that is much worse. Jones is an admitted film enthusiast. Posting pictures of himself on Instagram studying before the Anthony Smith fight at 11:30 pm.5 Quick question though, what are you gaining from watching only 18 minutes of UFC cage time? Very little, I can tell you that. That film is assuredly terrifying. Its an 18-minute knockout tape. Again, what are you going to learn? “Don’t get hit!”
- I am for fighters being able to negotiate opponents. I think it allows them to potentially pick grudge matches, and more emotional fights. I also think this is everything wrong with that system. However, this is a UFC issue. The UFC will favor and help some fighters but not others (Dana White privilege as Tony Ferguson coined it). This is going to damage the ability for other fighters to negotiate fights for themselves in the future. This is going to be used as an example for why, “you have to give Colby Covington his 8th title shot at 45. No, you cannot fight your camp rival.”
- Deserve – quite the word, isn’t it? Who really deserves a title shot these days? This class of UFC young guns is just pitiful, right? I mean they hardly have any failed drug tests. They haven’t failed a pre-fight drug test for cocaine. They have not been suspended by the UFC for a year. Hell, they don’t even have a domestic violence incident. Truly, none of them deserve a UFC title if they don’t have any of the accolades of the Jones legacy. Truly, what an oblivious word to use. The arrogant narcissism, and simultaneous ego manicuring is insufferable.
Which brings us to a reminder, this is Jon Jones too. The reason it is so ominous to have him even booked in the year 2025 is the same reason Dana won’t talk about Connor McGregor fights. If he can get them to even agree to terms, it is so doubtful that they even show up and if they do:
- Will they be clean?
- Will they be sober for pressers?
- Will they be violent to civilians that week?
- Will they be able to fight at all?
MMA and Boxing will always have fight cancellations. There’s always issues that will come up. You can limit those issues though. In this case, the limitation is not booking Jones at all. As a fan I kind of sigh, whenever I see things like “new Jones fight announced” or “is this when Jones will fight Aspinall???”, like no. It is not. It is never happening and never will be. This is who he (Jones) is and what his life is. Time and time again, Jones has shown us exactly who he is and how he conducts himself. I would be stunned to see him fight in 2026. If he does anything outside of boxing a Paul brother or a charity event for the rest of his life, I would be shocked. I don’t want to be surprised either. I don’t want to see him gloat if he wins and I do not want to add to what I already consider a tragic story of hubris and ego. I am sure he will do just fine adding to that part of his legacy himself.
Source 3 Trigger Warning: Arrest of hit and run body cam footage (6), threats of violence
You may consider this hyperbolic, but I do not. The Jon Jones legacy is dead. Jones has seen to that himself. With this incident in February,6 Jon Jones showed us who he will be for the rest of his life. A person who continually attempts to evade accountability for the danger he puts people in. A person who does not care about anyone other than himself. A man whose ego has gone beyond consuming him, it has destroyed him.
Watching that video6 was very difficult for me because of how terrifying Jones is acting. Was it surprising or even slightly shocking? No. It was horrifying to see it (again) and know that he has not changed and taken more brain damage.
Once upon a time, I was someone who wanted to believe Jon would pull it together. Admittedly, I enjoyed watching him fight. How could you not? However, as is custom in art-artist debates; when is that line crossed? Is it having a woman in the car you drive passed out half naked? Is it when you wreck her car and flee the scene? Is it when you refuse to come back to talk to cops and help her? Is it when you threaten said police (multiple elaborate times)?
Before this video was released, I was already in the camp that Jones should not be on the UFC roster due to his PED use and other criminal incident(s). Watching the video, only solidified this stance. There is not a single reason that Jon Jones should ever fight in the UFC again.
In a sense, Jones is a continual through line in my head about how the UFC has declined. He embodies a lot of the changes that have come to be in recent years. Jones built a path to being able to “play the company role” in a new way. That used to mean “anytime, anywhere, anybody”. Which was embodied by guys like Donald Cerrone, Dan Henderson, or Charles Oliveira (in recent years). Now, playing the company role means, win one fight this year then wait my turn to be champ. Embodied by Colby Covington or Jon Jones. Combining his toxic professional dealings with his haunting civilian presence, the end of Jon Jones has arrived.
Recently, Dana White has been saying it is unreliable to book Jon Jones for a card (specifically the 4th of July card).7 Citing the potential risk of “something going wrong”. There may be another Jon Jones bout in the future. However, that window appears to be shutting. If Jones does only care about legacy, is he going to wait for Aspinall to lose the belt? It doesn’t make sense. “Tragic” as it may be, I think it is more likely Jones does not fight in the UFC ever again. I feel it should be best to call this an end. An egregiously fitting end at that.
Jones cares so much about legacy. Yet in fighting the best legacies to me are those of perseverance. You can watch people go to hell and back, just to prove to themselves that they could try to be the best fighter in the world. They are psychopaths, they are wonderful, and they deserve to be celebrated for their dedication to working on themselves as a craft. The legacy of Jon Jones reflects none of that. Jones is an incredibly gifted athlete, he has a phenomenal record, he has dozens of KOs and highlights, and he has several fights that I’d consider classics.
But…
Jon Jones never understood what the essence of the greatest fighters is: Humility. Look at Khabib, or Islam, or Demetrious Johnson in comparison to Jon Jones. They are pinnacles for what fighters can be. To even suggest that Jones deserves to be in the same room as them is insulting to their dedication. Legacy of beating someone is something, but your legacy will always include yourself.
Sources
1 – https://www.abqjournal.com/sports/article_2bd78914-e533-4711-b153-0169eb9a3500.html
3 – https://fansidedmma.com/posts/20200326timeline-jon-jones-legal-trouble-arrest
4 – https://youtu.be/KZYKTNLy2GQ?si=SKxTeTfTAUombM80&t=441
5 – https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVlZsVlrta/?utm_source=ig_embed&img_index=1
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