UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones shocked many as he announced his continuation in the octagon after defeating Stipe Miocic.
The heavyweight champ suffered a torn pectoral muscle that put him out of the cage for months, but upon his return, he battled Stipe Miocic. Prior to the battle, Jones announced he would be retiring from MMA, but it seems he is not done yet, as he announced his desire to fight Alex Pereira shortly after defeating Miocic. Although many would like to see this, the promotion has other ideas and will set a matchup between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Despite the champ’s reluctance to face Aspinall as he feels the fighter is beneath him, the champ is open to facing the Brit as long as there is a large payout for him. The champ isn’t showing any signs of slowing down and may have his sights set on more fights in the future, but MMA commentator Chael Sonnen believes otherwise.
In an episode of ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy, Chael was asked about his prediction for 2025, and he said Jones will announce his retirement after battling Tom Aspinall.
“If you wanted my boldest prediction of 2025, I’m actually very confident in the prediction and that is that Jon Jones retires,” Sonnen said. “I will tell you that Jon Jones is gonna fight Tom Aspinall. I will tell you Jon’s gonna do a lot better with Tom than some people are giving him credit for, but that’s tomorrow’s discussion. When that fight is done, win or lose, I do believe it will be Jon’s final appearance.”
For now, the date of the fight is uncertain, but fans are eager to watch this showdown. The bout could either be an opportunity for Aspinall to show his mettle as the underdog if he beats Jones or for jones to retired with a cemented legacy.
