Jon Jones appears to be in no particular hurry to return to the Octagon.
The current UFC heavyweight champion, who has recently been engaged in filming a reality show in Thailand, has kept himself occupied away from the sport. Meanwhile, the MMA world speculates heavily on when he might face interim champion Tom Aspinall. Jones previously issued a vague statement hinting that the UFC is fully informed of his future plans, although the promotion itself has offered little detail beyond Dana White’s consistent assurance that the fight with Aspinall will indeed happen.
On Wednesday, Jones directly addressed questions regarding whether he might already be retired. His response did little to instill confidence about the timing of his next competition.
“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 competed in November of the previous year, where he secured a victory by finishing former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in his first title defense in the division.
Since that time, Jones has not made a definitive commitment to fighting again. However, White has stated numerous times with confidence that he expects the future Hall of Famer to come back and unify the title against Aspinall.
Concurrently, Aspinall has seemingly become increasingly frustrated as his waiting period extends further. His most recent fight took place in July, where he knocked out Curtis Blaydes in England.
Based on Jones`s latest remarks, it does not appear he anticipates competing again anytime soon. This situation may ultimately force Aspinall to make crucial decisions about his own career while he continues to await this potential matchup.
