Heavyweight champion Jon Jones seems to be taking his time before stepping back into the octagon.
Jones has been on the lips of many as he has kept fans and opponents waiting for a unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall. The fighter has recently been filming a reality show in Thailand and has been keeping himself busy outside the sport, while just about everybody else is curious about when he might fight Tom Aspinall.
The champ recently posted a cryptic statement that the UFC is well aware of his future plans, although the promotion hasn’t addressed his future—outside of Dana White consistently promising that the fight with Aspinall is going to happen.
Many have accused the fighter of ducking the bout with Aspinall and have even questioned if he is still in the game or retired. In a recent video, he responded:
“I’ve got people in the chat calling me a duck. Meanwhile, I’m living my absolute best life. I don’t know if it’s considered ducking when you’re living good. I don’t think it works like that.”
He also addressed comments about him being retired in a post on X:
“I don’t know if I wanna call it retired,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “I feel like I’ll always have an ability to pop out and show ’em. I’ve had many breaks throughout my career. My identity outside of fighting is well intact. I’m genuinely enjoying life, I’m growing in different ways.”
Jones last fought this past November when he finished former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in his first title defense in the division.
Since that time, Jones hasn’t fully committed to fighting again. Judging by his latest comments, he’s not expecting to compete any time soon and that may force Aspinall to make a decision regarding his own career.
