Is Jon Jones finally returning? The consensus UFC GOAT took a three-year layoff before returning against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 last year. He clinched the heavyweight title in a matter of minutes and had a Madison Square Garden headliner against Stipe Miočić set for UFC 295. But, an unfortunate shoulder injury ruined his plans. Are they finally on track now? The latest update from ‘Bones’ seems to hint so.

Since Jones stepped away due to his injury, the heavyweight division has been in a state of uncertainty. We have interim champion Tom Aspinall just waiting on the sidelines while Jones is angling to rebook the Miocic fight. But over the last few days, it seems the heavyweight division is about to become a hotbed of high-stakes matchups.

Jon Jon͏es ͏has recently been dropping updates about getting back to training after recovering from his injury. Now, he has said, “I have a date, I’ll let boss man Dana announce that.” The 36-year-old was responding to a question from a fan on X.

Another fan asked him to do what Conor Mcgregor did and drop an announcement video for his return date. ‘Bones’ replied that he just verbally agreed with the promotion so he could not announce it with absolute uncertainty. “Nope, as right now it’s just a verbal agreement,” wrote the former LHW champ.

‘Bones’ getting back in the mix may not be the fix to all the problems the 265 lbs division has right now. But, for the champion, it could not be a better time to jump back in!

Has Jon Jones picked the perfect time to return?

Stipe Miocic, Tom Aspinall, and now Alex Pereira! These are three names that are at the top of the list of opponents for ‘Bones.’ His personal preference is a battle of GOATs against the heavyweight legend Miocic. There is a possibility that this could be the retirement bout for both UFC stars. However, Jones seems to have recently developed an interest in another champion.

Alex Pereira bulldozing his way through five former champions in his 8-fight run with the UFC has piqued Jones’ interest. The Brazilian is currently holding Jones’ old belt and has shown an interest in moving up to heavyweight. He is also the first fighter to defend the 205 lbs belt against a divisional contender since Jones. Surely, a clash against ‘Poatan’ would bring in big numbers for the promotion and Jones.

Further, it would also be the final chapter for Pereira, in what fans have come to call ‘the Glover revenge tour,’ where Pereira has been beating opponents who beat Teixeira in title fights. Now where does that leave Tom Aspinall?

The Brit has been having a frustrating time trying to get Jones to agree to fight him. His interim belt is doing little to nothing in terms of getting him a title fight next. In fact, the Englishman recently announced he would be fighting at UFC 304 in Manchester in what could be an interim title belt defense.

Considering these facts, is Jones walking back into a scenario where he gets to walk over Aspinall and pick between a legacy fight against Miocic and a big-money fight against ‘Poatan’? Let us know in the comments.