“MMA will always be a part of who I am.” A few days ago, the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones retired from the Octagon, signaling the end of an era. Despite the recent criticism he received about ducking Tom Aspinall, the youngest UFC champion has achieved everything there was to achieve in the sport. While it might appear that ‘Bones’ has retired for good, there are many who believe the 37-year-old might not be done with MMA for good.

On Wednesday, Teddy Atlas, Mike Tyson‘s former trainer, posted a video on his YouTube channel, THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, where the former ESPN analyst suggested two possible scenarios for Jon Jones’ return to the octagon. “I wouldn’t be shocked if he also came back because for two reasons,” he said. The 68-year-old claimed that the retirement could very well be a ploy. Why? To create a buzz around a possible return, raising his stakes in the industry.

“We’ve seen it before. He wouldn’t be the first guy doing this. Where, ‘Let them miss me, let them talk about my greatness or if I was great’,” Atlas shared. The renowned trainer believes that it would “create an atmosphere that creates a bigger fight and then at the right time—Bang, ‘I am back!'” Atlas explained, while referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic line from Terminator.

The second reason? Just pride. “Maybe he hears the talk about people saying, ‘He ducked. Oh, he’s not the greatest. Oh, he didn’t fight Aspinall.’ And he starts to hear that. He’s a very proud guy,” the trainer contended. Atlas believes that no matter how talented a fighter is, he can’t be the greatest without pride. Perhaps the ongoing narrative of Jon Jones avoiding Tom Aspinall begins to frustrate the former. If that happens to get to Jon Jones’ head, the former champion might just make a one-time return to the octagon to cement his status as the greatest.

While these two are possibilities, Teddy Atlas believes that the retirement could very well stay forever. Maybe “he is just done,” Atlas concluded. Honestly, that seems the most likely scenario, as recently, the former UFC heavyweight champion issued a bold statement around his retirement, closing down the chatter surrounding his retirement plans.

Jon Jones’ biggest achievement

On Wednesday, Jon Jones shared an @unforgettable.mma Instagram post showcasing an iconic picture of 7 legendary UFC champions of 2011 on his story. The picture featured Cain Velasquez, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, José Aldo, Dominick Cruz, and Frankie Edgar.

The 37-year-old wrote, “I guess everybody else gets to retire–just not when you’re still dominating. Funny how that works,” claiming that he is satisfied by retiring at the absolute top. “Forget personal goals, forget business ventures. Some folks really believe you should fight until they say you’ve had enough. Wild. Imagine thinking a grown man shouldn’t control his own destiny,” he concluded.

What Jones wants is simple. He wants to leave the sport before the sport leaves him. We have seen countless examples of fighters struggling way past their prime, just to reclaim that sense of past glory. However, the combat world is a cruel space, and no one can escape Father Time. For him, realizing the right moment to give up might be a bigger achievement than any championship belt.

So, as things stand, Jon Jones is retired and will remain out of action. However, as the 37-year-old has stated, he can never leave MMA and would likely find a way to stay connected with the sport. It will be interesting to see what he means by that. What do you think will be Jon Jones’ next venture?