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Perhaps, one of the most polarizing personalities ever to grace the MMA canvas, it seems like the former champ in UFC light heavyweight, Jon Jones, may once again be hinting at walking through the gates of the octagon. This rumor came about after MMA Fighting posted a mysterious tweet asking if Jones is “leaving the door open for a potential UFC return.” While mentioning mysterious, the photo used for the tweet showed a stern-looking Jones, probably training, which fueled the rumor further.
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Reactions from the MMA world can only be described as ranged and swift. It is the prospect of one of the greatest fighters in history returning back to action that excites the fans. The other aren’t so much.
They sarcastically said, “Probably retired from fighting but definitely not retired from Twitter.” One comment took a shot with an allusion to his known outside-the-ring issues: “You wouldn’t have wanted to be an 8ball in the same room as Jon the last fortnight.” Ouch.
And then, of course, there is the ongoing story with Tom Aspinall, the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. Several answers disparaged Jones for dodging a fight with Aspinall. “Maybe he’s ashamed of ducking Aspinall and now willing to actually fight him…” said one. “He can fight for the title after 785 days. The amount of time he spent not fighting Tom Aspinall,” said another plainly.
Despite that shadow that has hovered over his past, Jones was never forgotten: Several comments referenced his criminal record, PED suspension, and domestic violence allegations. One especially biting comment sarcastically said, “Piss off, Jon! Stay retired, you pregnant woman hit-n-run, wife-beating, PED-cheating 🦆.”
But it was not all bad: Some fans seemed genuinely excited for a comeback from Jones, especially if it meant a ton of money. One even floated the idea of a superfight with Jake Paul because, why not? People started speculating about the White House putting on a UFC event, touching upon Jones’ recent off-the-wall social media escapades where he seemed to be kidding around with some political personalities, as well.
The man himself hasn’t given an official statement, but there sure is a lot of buzz about it. That’s one thing that still manages to bring people together because Jones is an anomaly: You can’t be the most discussed fighter ever if no one knew your name, love him or hate him; that’s the Jones effect.
Of course, no one from UFC has made any official comments on the rumors yet, but considering how the history flows, that potential Jones comeback is definitely going to be heralded by Dana White and company—not that there won’t be lots of other things to distract them. Could be against Aspinall; could be a legacy fight, or who knows what else. The entire world of MMA will be watching.
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Now if Jones comes back for the right reasons, that would be the last thing he needs: another headline. Because right now, Jones’ legacy has just as much to do with his fights as it does with his controversies. And, as usual, the ball is in Jones’ court.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
