Ahead of the Stipe Miocic clash, Gordon Ryan inadvertently confirmed what many UFC fans had speculated: Jon Jones was preparing for retirement during his training camp for the Stipe Miocic event.
Ryan, who trained with Jones during the camp, originally wrote on Instagram: “When I had Jon Jones in TH gear in the middle of his retirement fight camp, I’m sure that didn’t help at all.” This statement appears to validate Jones’ earlier hints about stepping away from the sport after facing Miocic.
Back in May, Jones had openly discussed the possibility of retirement following the Miocic bout. “I think the Stipe fight will be plenty for me,” Jones told Fox Sports Australia. “I feel like I don’t have too much to prove after beating Stipe Miocic.”
The heavyweight champion, who has now successfully defeated Miocic, elaborated on his reasoning: “I’ve been in the game for a long time. In fighter years, I’m an old guy. I’ve been training a long time and been in the game a long time. Got some small injuries. I just really want to be around. I want to be around for my family, be around for my kids. I want to be able to play with my kids, have a good head on my shoulders… I could see it coming to an end really soon and I’m happy with that. I’m really proud of my career.”
Jones’ career has been nothing short of extraordinary. After dominating the light heavyweight division for years, he vacated his title to pursue heavyweight glory. His debut in the new weight class at UFC 285 was spectacular, submitting Ciryl Gane in just over two minutes to claim the vacant UFC heavyweight championship.
But the incertainty looms with Tom Aspinall patiently waiting for a chance to unify the UFC heavyweight title.
In the middle of that ongoing drama, Gordon Ryan once again said it was Jon JOnes’ last camp. Ryan is currently in the middle of a social media war with a company he may or may not have invested in. He’s currently going back and forth with them daily but in one revealing exchange he detailed:
“When I had jon jones in th gear in the middle of his retirement fight camp, im sure that didn’t help at all.”
While the luxury flip flop market rages, UFC’s heavyweight division is a mess. Aspinall is the longest ever interim champion and there’s no interest from the current champion to unify the title. Jones has been a target of an online petition calling for him to be stripped with over 60,000 signatures collected. Jon Jones previously got benched for several years by the UFC due to his demands for Francis Ngannou clash. It’s unclear what happens next but Aspinall did tease a major announcement soon.
