Jones rules out boxing Usyk but keeps UFC return door open as he mentors Steveson

Jon Jones has dismissed speculation linking him to a boxing superfight with Oleksandr Usyk, while stopping short of announcing a permanent retirement from MMA.

Usyk last month vacated his unified heavyweight boxing titles to pursue a “last dance” fight for fun, and Jones’ name quickly surfaced as a potential opponent. Jones, however, wants no part of it on those terms.

“No, not at all,” Jones told Ring Magazine. “Usyk is Usyk, man. He’s one of the absolute GOATs of heavyweight boxing. To handicap myself by only using my hands — that’s not the world I come from.”

Jones acknowledged Usyk’s wrestling background as a reason he stands apart from other heavyweight boxers, but made clear he does not view the Ukrainian as a complete fighter. “I think the world knows what would happen if we were locked in the same room, and I’ll just leave it at that,” he said.

The UFC Hall of Famer briefly retired in 2025 before reversing course to pursue a place on the UFC White House card, a bout that ultimately did not materialise. That sequence did not push him toward a firm retirement declaration. Jones says he remains in the UFC’s drug-testing pool and is being tested regularly.

For now, Jones is channelling his competitive energy into coaching Olympic wrestling gold medallist Gable Steveson, who is transitioning into MMA. “I’m living vicariously through my buddy Gable Steveson right now,” Jones said. “Being backstage, being around the fans, being in the training gym — I get to do it all over again through Gable. I’m giving him my absolute best, teaching him everything I know about the sport, and that’s been really fulfilling for me.”

Jones described the mentoring role as scratching his competitive itch without requiring him to step back inside the octagon himself. “It’s fulfilling. Not as fulfilling as being in the ring or in the octagon, but it is scratching that itch. I can genuinely say I’m happy right now.”

Happiness in the present, though, does not close the door on competition. Jones indicated that a return remains possible, even if no fight is imminent. “The door is open,” he said, leaving the prospect of one final MMA appearance very much alive.