Jon Jones apparently wasn’t exactly living like an athlete. Tom Aspinall’s promotion to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion might feel a little like being handed the keys to a haunted mansion, exciting, sure, but with a lingering sense that the last owner left in a hurry. The saga between Aspinall and Jon Jones, now officially closed with Jones’ retirement, was a two-year game of chicken where Jones seemed as interested in fighting Aspinall as most people are in a root canal.
‘Not Living Like an Athlete’: Tom Aspinall Reveals Inside Scoop on Jon Jones’ Exit
Tom Aspinall, who’s spent nearly 20 months as interim champ, has been ready, willing, and able to unify the belts, but Jon Jones kept the world guessing, opting instead for a legacy-boosting (and let’s be honest, safer) fight with a 42-year-old, semi-retired Stipe Miocic.
Behind the scenes, sources close to Tom Aspinall say the chatter about Jones’ retirement was persistent. “I heard rumors from people close to him that he was going to retire and he isn’t living like an athlete. He’s not in the gym and he’s not interested,” Aspinall noted, in an interview with Diary of a CEO.
Jon Jones, meanwhile, spent much of the last year dodging questions, needling Aspinall on social media, and even firing off inaccurate claims about Tom Aspinall’s record. He demanded six months to prepare for the fight if it ever happened, and at one point reportedly asked for a $30 million guarantee, which the UFC promptly shelved.
Jones’ exit, announced via a late-night call to Dana White, was as dramatic as his entire career: with a fresh legal issue waiting in the wings. Just hours after his retirement, it emerged that Jones is facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly fleeing the scene of a car crash in Albuquerque, where a woman in his car was found severely intoxicated and partially undressed. The police report suggests Jones may have made threatening remarks to an officer.
So what was Jones really up to? If you believe the rumors, he was living more like a retired rockstar than a reigning champ. If you believe the headlines, he was busy with reality TV shoots and legal dramas instead of fight prep. And if you believe the fans, he was simply following his usual playbook: doing things his way, consequences be damned.
