Jon Jones became the youngest champion in UFC history at just 23 years old. That night at UFC 128 in 2011, when he battered Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua and took the light heavyweight crown, the MMA world knew something special had arrived. What followed was an era of dominance few have been able to match. 12 total title defenses across light-heavyweight and heavyweight, and a record-setting 1,743 days atop the UFC’s P4P (pound-for-pound) list.

But now, with his retirement confirmed, one question still lingers. How does a man with such a legendary resume, who reportedly partied between camps and admitted to barely training, still go down as the greatest to ever do it? Even Joe Rogan and Cory Sandhagen were left scratching their heads at the puzzle.

On the JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) MMA Show no. 167, the UFC color commentator and podcast host was talking about Merab Dvalishvili’s relentless grind as he shared a story about how ‘The Machine’ was out running just a day after he won the bantamweight crown! Yet that stands in stark contrast to ‘Bones’s approach as Rogan revealed that Jon Jones needed six months to prepare for a fight with Tom Aspinall.

Not because he was injured or rebuilding, but because he hadn’t trained at all! According to Rogan, “So they were trying to make a deal, and he decided to retire. But it’s six months because he’s not training like at all, like he just doesn’t train in between fights. Just doesn’t train. Which to me, he used to do that a lot when was younger too, which I always thought was crazy…”

Cory Sandhagen was just as stunned as he responded, “That is crazy to me, I always say guys do that like when I was in my 20s, and like I would watch these really big fighters just not train unless it was training camp time. I’d be like ‘F— that, I’m never being that way’.”

The No. 4 ranked bantamweight contender then admitted that he wasn’t comfortable ‘bashing’ the approach as he confessed that he did know a lot of fighters who took the same route. But as Rogan pointed out on the latest JRE episode, “But look at Jon, greatest of all time, it’s like how did he do that?”

‘The Sandman’ tried to make sense of it as he shared that in his mind, hard work equates to “more sh—“ you get out of training and preparation. But for Jon Jones? That rule seemingly doesn’t apply.

Even Joe Rogan admitted, “Well, I think Jon is just so f— talented that he could pull that off. That’s the outlier, it’s like he was just so good… he was so good… he could do it. He could party and still f— guys up.”

Jon Jones is that outlier. A man who could walk into a cage with minimal prep and still dismantle elite fighters like Daniel Cormier, Stipe Miocic, and Vitor Belfort, just to name a few. And that’s what makes his legacy so complicated.

He won titles across two divisions, defeated legends, and was never outscored or stopped. Yet he did it all on a rhythm that would derail most fighters. And he retired on his own terms, without ever being truly dethroned. But is this the end of the Jon Jones saga? A former middleweight champion doesn’t think so!

Jon Jones may come out of retirement if the price is right, according to Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya isn’t convinced that ‘Bones’ has truly hung up the gloves. In fact, against all odds, he’s betting on a comeback. Speaking on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’, Adesanya shared his take on Jones’ decision to walk away from the sport in a move that shook up the MMA sphere.

According to ‘The Last Stylebender’, this isn’t about walking away for good. It’s more about timing and headlines. He explained, “I think he’ll come back, It’s just the drama of it. … What do they call it now? The kids call it rage-baiting. It’s working.”

He even rallied against the claims that ‘Bones’ held up the heavyweight division by not having a title unification bout against Tom Aspinall, who is now the undisputed heavyweight champion. But then came the bombshell.

Adesanya claimed, “I think he’ll go through this and then, again, he’ll come back. I think he’ll fight Tom. It’s just too much money. They offered him what, $20 (million or) $30 million, I heard. Yeah, I think he’ll come back.” In fact, he even sees a bigger stage building with each passing month. If Aspinall stacks up a few more wins, the hype around a Jones fight only grows.

Ultimately, Jon Jones may have walked away from the sport, but the aura he left behind is still larger than life. To some, he’s a puzzle that greatness can’t quite explain. To others, he’s the greatest to ever do it, even if the way he did it defied all logic. Whether he stays retired or cashes in on one final mega-fight, the legend of ‘Bones’ continues to evolve. And if Israel Adesanya is right, the UFC may not have seen the last of its most unpredictable outlier!