Jon Jones is “honored” at the chance to return to the UFC, according to training partner Gable Steveson, days after Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight title that Jones gave up rather than defend against him.
Steveson brought it up at UFC 331 media day in Los Angeles, where he faces Sean Sharaf on Saturday’s main card.
“I called Jon today, and he’s honored to have the opportunity to maybe come back,” Steveson told reporters. “He’s always had gold around his waist. It’s cool to have him in my corner. We train every day, one-on-one together.”
Steveson made a similar point to RMC Sport Combat earlier in the week. “I think Jon would like to come back also,” he said. “Maybe seeing this belt open up put another fire into him.”
Jones Took Shots At Aspinall First
Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title on Monday, saying ongoing complications with his eyes meant he could not get medically cleared to fight. Jones didn’t offer much sympathy.
On X, Jones answered a fan post claiming Aspinall knew he couldn’t beat Ciryl Gane and “took the easy way out” with three words: “My sentiments exactly.” He also reacted to a separate post arguing Aspinall never deserved the undisputed title.
The history explains the heat. Jones retired and relinquished the belt in June 2025 instead of unifying with then-interim champion Aspinall, and he has admitted he turned down $30 million for that fight.
Can Jon Jones Actually Come Back?
On paper, yes. Jones told Ring Magazine in July that he is still in the UFC’s drug testing pool. “As long as I’m in the drug-testing pool, the UFC is contractually obligated to offer me a few fights a year,” he said, while admitting he hadn’t heard from the promotion in a while.
Dana White is the bigger obstacle. After Jones re-entered testing last year, White said, “I just can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House card.” Jones never made it onto UFC Freedom 250.
A fight with Gane would come with a ready-made storyline. Gane won the interim title against Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, and Jones submitted him in just over two minutes at UFC 285 in 2023 to claim the vacant heavyweight belt.
Not everyone has Jones in the picture. Daniel Cormier has already named Josh Hokit as the right next challenger for Gane, and even Steveson said Hokit deserves the first crack if Jones stays retired.
