MMA star Jon Jones drew attention in late May with a series of tweets about his UFC contract and Dana White. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani also reported that Jones was willing to vacate his light heavyweight title. Nearly two months later, the longtime fighter officially made the decision.
Jones took to Twitter on Monday and announced that he had finished a phone call with the UFC. He tweeted that “today I confirm that I’m vacating the light heavyweight championship. It’s officially up for grabs. It’s been an amazing journey, sincere thank you to all my competition, Ufc and most importantly you fans.” While this decision to vacate the title officially ended Jones’ reign as the light heavyweight champion, it does not necessarily end his UFC career. He also expressed interest in a move to a different weight class.
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“The last I spoke with @UFC about my salary there was no negotiating. If that ever changes, i’d love to come back and compete again as a heavyweight. Until then, I’ll be enjoying Ufc has a fan and doing my best to take care of my family and community,” Jones further explained. He confirmed that he will remain in the testing pool for an estimated six months.
With the revelation that Jones might move to a different weight class and return to the UFC, fans began expressing their excitement. There is a void in the division after Daniel Cormier retired on Saturday, and the fans want to see someone else challenge Stipe Miocic for the belt. Jones is 26-1-0 (one no contest) in his career and has 14 victories in title fights. He also has 11 title defenses. The fans don’t know if Jones could take down Miocic, but many would like to see him try.
Jones did later tweet that he had another conversation with UFC about a possible return. He described the interaction as “positive” and further fueled speculation about upcoming bouts. “Just had a really positive conversation with @Ufc. Sounds like there will be negotiations for my next fight at heavy weight. All good news, the weight gaining process begins,” he tweeted.
While Jones waits for news about his UFC future, he will continue watching the light heavyweight division “with a cheeseburger” in hand. He expressed excitement about the future of the division and called for the fighters to “be great.” Jones also pledged to pay $100,000 to charity in the name of the first light heavyweight to win six championships in a row.
