“It’ll probably be the biggest fight we’ve ever done,” Dana White said during the UFC 309 press conference, right after Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic. The UFC boss clearly understood just how much fans wanted to see Tom Aspinall get his moment to unify the belt. Against what some people say is the best UFC fighter of all time. He had told us over and over that this fight between two heavyweights from different generations was going to happen. But the UFC Baku press conference revealed a huge bombshell.

White revealed at the post-fight presser that Jon Jones told him he’s done with his UFC career. That was quickly followed by a heartfelt retirement message from the former heavyweight champ on X. The announcement shook the entire MMA world. But it was Daniel Cormier who jumped in with an immediate reaction to his eternal rival’s send-off. On his YouTube channel, ‘DC’ claimed, “I will go to my grave believing he quit instead of fighting [Aspinall],” essentially suggesting that Jones never really wanted that fight in the first place.

But the boss had a very different view that went against what Cormier said. Dana White was still sure that Jones vs. Aspinall was a done deal. Until the former 265-pound champion changed his mind for good. What about the reason? White never completely explained why “Bones” decided to retire or what really happened. But he did make one thing obvious. It had nothing to do with not wanting to fight Aspinall.

The UFC boss told Mac Life’s Oscar Willis, “No! Jon Jones, I said it a million times, I’ll say it again. He has never ducked anybody, other than that one goofy time, with the Chael Sonnen thing. He has never ducked anybody. And I think the reality is, whatever changed his mind, I don’t know, you’d have to ask him that. You know he’s 38 years old, I don’t know.” 

So in other words Jon got cold feet
byu/Jayantwi98 inufc

Dana White’s answer didn’t sit well with the fans. They wanted a clearer explanation, something more specific about why Jon Jones was never truly interested in fighting Tom Aspinall from the start. Was it an issue with negotiations? Many details still seem to be under wraps. And with that lack of clarity, netizens didn’t hold back. Calling out the UFC head honcho over ‘Bones’ sudden retirement.

UFC fans react as Dana White opens up about Jon Jones’ retirement

One fan didn’t waste any time countering White’s statement, “Jon was never going to fight Aspinall, he said it since 2024 he won’t fight Aspinall.” The comment pointed to Jon Jones’ remarks during the UFC 309 media day, where he admitted he didn’t want to do business with the Englishman, calling him an “a–hole.” Another user chimed in, “That’s a whole lot of ‘I dunno,” taking a jab at the UFC boss for barely providing any real details behind Jones’ sudden retirement.

Another fan echoed the same sentiment, but with more frustration, saying, “Guy is the CEO of the company, and for some reason, he doesn’t have an answer for anything. Embarrassing.” The user aimed for Dana White’s typical press conference approach, criticizing him for dodging clear answers on important issues. That was followed by another comment, “Jones has been saying the entire time he didn’t wanna fight Tom. He tried the asking-for-too-much method he did with Francis, and it didn’t work.”

Here, the user pointed out how White may have complicated and delayed the process, much like the situation with Francis Ngannou, where negotiations fell apart and the deal never materialized. Another fan didn’t hold back either, writing, “He never ducked anyone? Man, you gotta be real delusional to say that after all that happened.” The comment called out Dana White for refusing to acknowledge that Jon Jones may have done everything possible to avoid risking his legacy against Tom Aspinall.

But that’s not all. Some fans actually came to White’s defense. One user wrote, “Can’t really blame this guy for not making this fight. UFC did everything to make it happen, but they can’t force kids to fight if they don’t want to.” The comment showed some empathy toward White, recognizing his effort to put together the heavyweight unification bout. Then came another question, “Has he actually retired for good?” Who knows? Jon Jones might just return if something interesting comes along in the future.

That being said, Tom Aspinall has finally gotten to hold the official heavyweight championship belt after waiting so long. Now, it’ll be interesting to see how Dana White and the UFC brass shape the heavyweight division moving forward, with Jon Jones no longer holding the crown.