The Jon Jones saga continues after all?
After hinting at retirement in a video posted on social media on Friday, April 10, stating he had “hung up his gloves,” Jones has appeared to leave the door open on fighting in the future.
Per MMA Fighting, while appearing at the Dirty Boxing 6 event held on that same night, Jones said he had a conversation about the situation with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell.
Jones stated that his body had started to feel more capable after undergoing stem-cell treatment.
“We had that conversation tonight,” Jones said. “I took a stem cell right before the White House card was created, and I’m starting to feel the effects of that stem cell, I feel really good physically.”
Jones has publicly stated that dealing with arthritis has been a hurdle for him to continue his MMA career. It appeared to be the reason he was formally retired in June 2025. That same month, UFC CEO and President Dana White announced Jones’ retirement status, awarding the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship to then-interim champion Tom Aspinall.
After three years away from the Octagon, dominating the light heavyweight scene through the 2010s, Jones moved up to heavyweight at UFC 285, defeating Ciryl Gane for the then-vacant UFC heavyweight title.
Jones last fought at UFC 309, defeating Stipe Miocic. He was scheduled to fight Miocic one year earlier at UFC 295, the same night Aspinall went on to win the interim title, but suffered a torn pec.
Jones changed his stance on retirement a couple of weeks later, when U.S. President Donald Trump first teased what would become UFC Freedom 250. Jones, to his disappointment, was left off the card in favor of an interim heavyweight title fight between Gane and Alex Pereira.
It’s uncertain if and when Jones will return to the Octagon, but he stated that his priority right now is coaching Gable Steveson. Steveson, the former NCAA wrestling champion, competes at RAF 9 on May 30. He is currently 3-0 in professional MMA, and many expect him to be picked up by the UFC sooner or later.
“So I told them let’s not put any pressure on anything, I want to focus on coaching Gable right now,” Jones said. “But who knows what the future holds?”
