If Jon Jones believes he retired several months ago, that information is news to UFC President Dana White.
Following UFC 317 on Saturday night, White addressed recent tweets from Jones. Jones had claimed he informed the promotion of his retirement immediately after his victory over Stipe Miocic but was repeatedly encouraged to reconsider. While admitting he discussed a potential matchup with Tom Aspinall with the UFC, Jones strongly denied that any formal agreement for the fight was ever finalized, contradicting White`s prior statement that the bout was “done” before Jones` sudden retirement announcement.
“I was told 1,000 times to just reconsider and just give it more time. That’s the truth,” Jones tweeted. “If the fight was done, trust me, I would be fighting. Did we start negotiating at one point yes, but [it] was never done. My job at the time was to sit back and be quiet about it and that’s exactly what I did. I was enjoying my life that should’ve been obvious to you guys.”
Although not seeking a heated argument over the accuracy of his initial remarks, White disputed Jones` various tweets on the subject when questioned during the UFC 317 post-fight press conference.
Regarding Jones` assertion that he effectively retired last November, White simply stated, “That’s not true… I’m telling you the truth. Believe who you want to believe.”
Disagreements between White and Jones about how situations unfolded between them are not unprecedented, but given Jones` apparent retirement, this may well be their final public exchange of this nature.
For his part, White remained calm and composed when addressing Jones` claims, reaffirming his stance that the fight with Aspinall was agreed upon before the now-former heavyweight champion altered his plans.
Regardless of the conflicting timelines, the outcome is the same: Jones has relinquished the title and retired from the sport, leaving Tom Aspinall as the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Concerning Aspinall`s next move, White chose not to discuss potential matchups when asked about a seemingly likely fight against Ciryl Gane.
Aspinall has previously indicated that a fight with Gane is his primary interest, but no definitive decisions have been made as the heavyweight division begins a new chapter following Jones` departure from the championship picture.
