Jon Jones leaves door open for UFC return despite likely retirement at 39

Jon Jones has stopped short of a definitive retirement, stating on social media that he is “more than likely” done fighting while confirming he remains enrolled in the UFC’s drug-testing programme and is “leaving doors open” for a return.

The 39-year-old former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion responded to a fan on Twitter late Friday, writing: “More than likely, I won’t fight again, but as of right now I’m still getting drug tested. Leaving doors open, you never know what the future holds.” According to the UFC’s official drug-testing website, Jones has been tested four times in 2026.

Jones last competed at UFC 309 in November 2024, successfully defending his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in what remains the final fight of his career. He formally announced his retirement in June 2025, effectively ending a long-anticipated showdown with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. He briefly reversed course when a UFC event at the White House was announced by UFC CEO Dana White and President Donald Trump, but Jones was ultimately left off that card.

Widely considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, Jones dominated the light heavyweight division from 2011 to 2020, recording 11 successful championship defences and becoming the youngest fighter to win a UFC title at the age of 23. He returned to the octagon in 2023 to submit Ciryl Gane and claim the vacant heavyweight championship left behind by Francis Ngannou.

Jones’ legacy remains complicated by a series of off-cage controversies, including a 2015 hit-and-run incident that led to the UFC stripping him of his light heavyweight belt, multiple failed drug tests, and a 2021 domestic violence arrest — a charge later dropped after Jones pleaded no-contest to a related charge of injuring or tampering with a vehicle.

In the days surrounding his retirement comments, Jones has also been engaged in a public back-and-forth with former UFC welterweight Colby Covington, who criticised Jones’ mentorship of heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson and called him a “terrible human being.” Jones responded dismissively, saying: “I just like reminding Colby that I’m not the man I used to be. And even at my weakest, I’ve always been better than him. I’m everything he could never be, and I know it kills him inside.”

Whether Jones ultimately steps away for good or pursues one final bout — most likely against Aspinall — remains unclear. For now, the testing continues and the door, however narrowly, stays open.