After UFC Baku, during the post-fight press conference, Dana White shocked the MMA world by announcing Jon Jones’ retirement. “Jon Jones called us last night and retired,” White stated. “Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.” This unforeseen news set the MMA community ablaze, as history unfolded before their eyes. Amid the chaos, disappointment swept through the sport. With Jones’ departure, a new threat has emerged—one that could hit the promotion even harder in the days to come.

A day after Dana White’s statement, Jon Jones took to his X handle to share a lengthy message thanking everyone for their longstanding support throughout his 17-year career, “As I close this chapter of my life, I look forward to new opportunities and challenges ahead. MMA will always be a part of who I am, and I’m excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come,” wrote Jones on his X handle.

So, what’s the threat now? It was long believed that Jon Jones would retire sometime after defeating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. So why is there such a buzz all of a sudden? Well, after Jon Jones’ departure, the USA has been stripped of its last male champion. What are we talking about? Well, Jones was the last UFC champion representing the USA on the global stage. The only American champion in the UFC right now is the newly minted women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison.

Verdict MMA raised these concerns on their Instagram, uploading a photo with the caption highlighting all the most recent male UFC champions from the United States. Here is the list of American champions from the last five years:

Heavyweight – Jon Jones: Retired in 2025.

Light Heavyweight – Jamahal Hill: Vacated in 2023.

Middleweight – Sean Strickland: Lost to Dricus du Plessis in 2024.

Welterweight – Belal Muhammad: Lost to Jack Della Maddalena in 2025.

Lightweight – Eddie Alvarez: Lost to Conor McGregor in 2016.

Featherweight – Max Holloway: Lost to Alexander Volkanovski in 2019.

Bantamweight – Sean O’Malley: Lost to Merab Dvalishvili in 2024.

Flyweight – Henry Cejudo: Vacated in 2020.

In addition to that, there is no upcoming title fight featuring any American fighter, which further raises concerns for a promotion that hosts most of its events in the US. As VerdictMMA shared the numbers, American fans took to the comment section, raising their own concerns about the hubbub.

Dana White gets notice from the MMA fans as Jon Jones’ retirement opens a gap for USA fans

The promotion was already going through a rough time due to ongoing broadcast negotiations, and Jon Jones’ exit from the UFC may have put them in a dilemma, as negotiations there might not have gone as the promotion expected. However, there are some names within the promotion who could win a belt for the USA.

According to a fan, “Cory Sandhagen, Sean Brady or Brandon Royval probably have the best odds at being next, but I think they all lose to the current champs.” Cory Sandhagen is probably the next challenge for the bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, and it is nearly certain that the UFC will book the fight. Brandon Royval might be next in line for the flyweight belt, and Sean Brady’s recent victory against Leon Edwards has cemented his status as the next contender for the welterweight title. If things go as planned, then we might witness American champions once again.

Moreover, one of the fans raised a question for the MMA community, “I meeaaan how many train and live most of their time in the US?” If we dig deeper, we can see that a considerable chunk of the champions train in America—Merab Dvalishvili being one of them. One fan emphasized that ‘The Machine’ should represent America, “I think Merab has US citizenship.”

Moreover, another social media user expressed that the flyweight champion is American since he has citizenship and lives in Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S. “Alexandre Pantoja is from America.”  Well, despite that, Pantoja represents Brazil. Amidst the wave of pessimism, a social media user offers a ray of hope, “We won’t have one for a long time, if i had to say one i’d say jacobe smith is probably next eventually.” 

Riding a 10-fight winning streak, Jacobe Smith is Dana White’s best bet for the welterweight division. However, despite his record, he is yet to be tested against the top talents of the 170 lbs division. Last but not least, a fan added, “Strickland is more recent at MW.”

The promotion might struggle to crown another American champion following Jon Jones’ departure, as there are few top-ranked American fighters in any of the division’s top five. Nevertheless, with Dana White pushing for at least one American champion, it will be interesting to see how things unfold in the future.