The biggest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight clash of all time might officially be off the table.
That’s because UFC Heavyweight king Jon Jones dropped a bombshell in a leaked video, revealing he’s “done” fighting. The clip, captured while he’s currently living it up in Thailand filming a Russian TUF knockoff show, surfaced on the Russian YouTube channel Ushatayka and in it, Jones is FaceTiming his old pal and veteran Russian MMA promoter Kamil Gadzhiev.
Jones started, “I’m excited to see…” before Gadzhiev cut in with, “You’re still active, 10 years left!”
“Bones” chuckled and shut it down: “No, I’m done. I’m done. Looking forward to seeing you again, Kamil. You look great.”
The leak hit just hours after Jones posted a cryptic tweet: “I told the UFC my plans a long time ago. I have no clue why they haven’t shared them with you guys yet.”
For months, fans have been salivating over a potential massive showdown with interim champ Tom Aspinall, with rumors pointing to Madison Square Garden later this year. But this bombshell throws that mega-fight into serious doubt.
Even though UFC CEO Dana White remains certain that his Heavyweight champion will definitely fight this year, telling everyone last week after announcing UFC 317 to “relax” and “we’ll get Aspinall vs Jones done.”
Is this classic “Bones” mind games, or is he really walking away? The signs point to retirement, especially since he’s dropping hints without spelling it out.
If Jones is truly done, Aspinall deserves a Nostradamus nod. He predicted he’d retire Jones—without ever stepping into the cage with him.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
