UFC Legend Backs Jon Jones’ Shock UFC Retirement With Surprise Message of Support

Jon Jones' official UFC retirement has not been met with universal approval, but one of his fellow GOATs, Khabib Nurmagomedov, supports it.

UFC Legend Backs Jon Jones’ Shock UFC Retirement With Surprise Message of Support

Khabib Nurmagomedov comments on Jon Jones’ UFC retirement (Source: X/IMAGO)

Legend does as legend has it, and ex-UFC undisputed heavyweight champ Jon Jones called it quits recently. Complaints were piling against him for logjamming the UFC 265-pound weight class for years, with minimal appearances and title scraps. Former UFC lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who hung it up before “Bones,” congratulated him on the matter with a heartfelt message.

Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov aren’t really kin or never have been close peers. With his friendship with Team AKA’s (American Kickboxing Academy) Daniel Cormier, known Jones-rival, it never came to be.

Jones also went on a terrific rant when Khabib Nurmagomedov was the promotion’s #1 P4P fighter and retired undefeated at 29-0-0. However, he later regressed as a contractual hash for a 265-pound shift took him three years, and it made sense the P4P crown went to active fighters.

While a consensus GOAT, a 205-pounder legend, and the promoted unofficial #1 Pound-for-pound, Jones crossed massive days and 7+ months asking for PPV monetary compensation and deciding on title unification. Hence, many laid into his decision to retire. “Eagle,” though, supported the purport of his having nothing more to prove in the sport:

My congratulations, legend. Even [though] we were not friends, but you are the best who ever do it in UFC history and you inspire millions of people around the world. You have nothing more to prove in this sport.

Khabib Nurmagomedov via IG Stories (›Хабиб Нурмагомедов; @khabib_nurmagomedov)

Khabib Nurmagomedov himself hung it up after a submission win over Justin Gaethje at their UFC 254 PPV lightweight title headliner. The tint bagged him a Best Submission ESPY, Best Fighter honors, and added to his later accolades over several years. The passing of father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, an infamous Soviet wrestling coach, had left him dry and acted as a catalyst in his decision to hang it up.

Hence, Khabib stood firm that he gave what he had to the combat sports culture, and had nothing much more to prove by staying on. The Eagles MMA head now corners friends and family, and former 155-pound longtime king Islam Makhachev. He also cornered Belal Muhammad for his TKO win over Sean Brady and coached him for his Manchester PPV headliner win last year.

But coming back to Bones, was his decision to not lace up anymore as timely and justifiable? ESPN’s post-fight panel PPV commentator and ‘Good Guy / Bad Guy’ podcast co-host Cormier, who recently weighed in on his tainted legacy, thinks Jones, 37, might seek a route back in if, say, Tom Aspinall is champ no more. However, his desire to be indifferent to the Brit so far and retire now does now sit well with everybody.

Demetrious Johnson pitches in on Jon Jones’ UFC retirement

Most UFC fans are happy that Jon Jones has finally retired from the sport, thus making Tom Aspinall the default undisputed champ after a long wait. Aspinall ran one of the longest-running camp in wait, and even punctuated a rare title defense of his substitute strap last year, a first-round TKO over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 PPV co-feature.

Jon Jones’ UFC retirement confuses many
Jon Jones’ UFC retirement confuses many (Source: X)

However, his decision to do so confuses many. Per statleaders.ufc.com (UFC Record books), the Brit is indomitable with the least bottom time and numerous first-round KOs. If anything, this would be a proper skills test for Jon Jones to prove one last time that he has still got it against the New-Gen heavyweights.

Moreover, other than a DQ by Steve Mazzagatti in 2009, for using multiple 12-6 “up-down” strikes on downed opponent Matt Hamill, he has no actual loss in his career. UFC Vegas 100 onwards, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) rules committee unanimously lifted the ban on 12-6 elbows, barring individual nitpicking by particular commissions.

As a result, Jon Jones even stepped closer to overcorrect to an undefeated record like Khabib Nurmagomedov. If anything, an Aspinall fight would have been a last stiff test, only to add to his legacy. Hence, Demetrious Johnson is highly confused by the whole ordeal.

Deep down inside, I think Jon Jones after he beat Stipe Miocic, I think he was totally down to fight Tom Aspinall, and I think Jones asked the UFC for $30m thinking the UFC was not going to give that to him, …Maybe this whole night bender and mushrooms with this chick changed his whole mindset… But this is the thing we will never know… We’ll never hear from Jones’ mouth on why he didn’t take the Tom fight.

Demetrious Johnson via his “MIGHTY” Podcast (@Mighty15x) 

UFC CEO Dana White has presented an unfulfilled PPV compensation or outstanding legal issues aren’t probably why Jon Jones decided to retire; it could be, though. He even said UFC litigation was down with the finances before Jones took an absurd U-Turn on an Aspinall fight.

Johnson has surmised that he knew the Aspinall-shaped challenge could be a tough one and prove to be a blemish on his long-running legacy. Even if the modern, ‘casual’ fan following did not know of his DQ to Hamill, getting stripped multiple times, a positive for Turinabol metabolite, and estrogen blockers while fighting Ovince Saint Preux, this loss would be a big one. DJ also theorized that his more recent legal predicaments might have tuned his mind to not risk it.

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