One of Jon Jones’ biggest rivals didn’t hold back on the former two-division UFC champion’s latest retirement promises.
After missing out on the upcoming UFC White House card, Jon Jones publicly called for his release from the promotion amidst an ongoing feud with CEO Dana White. According to Jones, White and the matchmakers ‘lowballed’ him in contract negotiations to fight at UFC Freedom 250, and he was asking for more than $15 million to fight the likes of Alex Pereira or Tom Aspinall.
Amidst Jones’ uncertain future with the UFC, he recently declared he was ‘hanging up the gloves’ and transitioning to his various business ventures. He’s also coaching UFC heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson ahead of the Olympic gold medalist’s planned debut later this summer.
This wasn’t the first time that Jones announced his retirement from MMA. He’s flip-flopped at numerous points in his career, including a few months after he vacated the UFC light heavyweight title in 2020.
But one of Jones’ biggest rivals, Chael Sonnen, believes Jones needs to explain himself after his checkered history of retirement claims.
Chael Sonnen questions Jon Jones’ ‘word’ over latest retirement comments
In a recent social media video post, Sonnen reacted to Jones’ latest retirement teases.
“Jon Jones publicly retired on Friday, which is enough, per the rules, to have yourself removed from the testing pool. Jon Jones, on Saturday, came back and said he is not officially retired, which, per the rules, is enough to reinsert yourself into the testing pool,” Sonnen said of Jones.
“Now, no, none of that stuff is happening, and it’s all very silly, but there is a question: if you’re the baddest dude in the world and you’re going to be the world champion, you’ve got to be a man. And nobody’s going to mistake you for a man, let alone the man, if they can’t trust you.
“When you put out a statement on Friday and the exact opposite statement on Saturday, there is a simple question, and it’s not whether you’re retired or not or if you’re going to fight again,” Sonnen continued on Jones. “It’s simply, what good is your word?” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Since their fight at UFC 159, tensions between Jones and Sonnen have ramped up in recent years. Sonnen is a prominent Jones critic, but acknowledged the former two-division champion shouldn’t be excluded from the UFC GOAT debate despite failing multiple drug tests.
Will Jon Jones fight in the UFC ever again? Let us know your predictions in the comments!