Jon Jones eyes UFC return after Ngannou callout and stem cell treatment reignite desire to fight

Jon Jones is weighing a return to the UFC after revealing plans to undergo further stem cell treatment in a bid to recover the hip mobility he has lost over the course of his career, with a callout from Francis Ngannou adding fresh motivation to compete again.

The former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion told Sporf that a conversation with Joe Rogan prompted him to seek out the therapy. Rogan pointed Jones toward a clinic called Ways2Well, telling him the treatment had noticeably improved his own movement.

“You never know what’s going to happen in life. I just talked to Joe Rogan the other day, and he’s like, ‘I’ve got some friends out at a place called Ways2Well, who gave me some initial stem cells and I have been moving around way better than I used to,’” Jones said. “So, I’m going to get more stem cells and see if that’s true and I regain the mobility in my hips that I once had.”

Jones acknowledged that his physical condition will ultimately determine whether a comeback is realistic, but said his competitive drive has rarely felt stronger. Working closely with Olympic wrestling gold medalist Gable Steveson as a training partner has kept him sharp, and Ngannou’s public callout has sharpened his focus further.

“My heart and spirit are always there when it comes to fighting,” Jones said. “Being around and coaching Gable Steveson and getting called out by Francis Ngannou and seeing how wide open the heavyweight division is, it obviously creates this itch that I feel like I really want to scratch.”

Jones stopped short of committing to a timeline, framing the stem cell results and his response to training as the deciding factors. “I’m just going to let time tell me,” he said. “I’ll take Joe’s advice and take more stem cells and continue to pour my energy into Gable and continue to be his number one training partner, which will obviously show me a lot about where I am physically.”

Jones last competed at UFC 309 in November 2024, successfully defending the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic. At 37, he remains the reigning champion but has offered no confirmed date for his next bout, leaving the division in a state of uncertainty that he himself described as “wide open”.