It looks like Jon Jones may not be done just yet! Just days after UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the longtime champion had officially retired, fans flooded social media to pay tribute (and takes shots). Many thanked ‘Bones’ for a legendary career. Others didn’t buy the story at all. And now? Jon Jones himself has finally broken the silence, with answers that only raise more questions.

It all began when a user on X posted a simple message, “Enjoy retirement. You deserve it.” Jones’s response? He replied, “I appreciate it, but I’m really not retired. I’ll be all over the country and all over the world. Meeting people who love the sport the most.”

That one comment sent a frenzy in the MMA sphere. In a conversation with MMA Fighting, UFC boss Dana White had shared, “He was absolutely, positively sure that he wanted to retire and we said why don’t you sleep on it, if you wake up in the morning if that’s how you still feel.” According to White, the UFC had even lined up a heavyweight title unification fight between Jones and Tom Aspinall in New York for later this year, before Jones suddenly pulled the plug.

But in Jones’ world, it’s never that simple. One day, he’s out. The next? He’s fielding praise from fans and legends. Another fan on X wrote, “Even Khabib and GSP say Jon is the GOAT. Cry about it haters”. Jones kept it classy as he confessed, “I didn’t expect that from Khabib, it was humbling.”

The exchange was in reference to a recent Instagram Story by Khabib Nurmagomedov. The undefeated former lightweight champion shared a heartfelt message following Jones’ apparent retirement as he wrote, “My congratulations legend, even though we were not friends, but you are the best to ever do it in UFC history and you inspire millions of people around the world. You have nothing more to prove in this sport.”

Praise like that doesn’t come lightly from ‘The Eagle’. Known for his discipline, honesty, and careful choice of words, the Dagestani icon calling Jones the best to ever do it adds serious weight to his place in the GOAT conversation.

Still, not everyone is sold. Demetrious Johnson, another fighter in the GOAT discussion, recently cast doubt on whether Jones is truly done, citing how Jones’ career has always been surrounded by unpredictability. At the heart of the confusion is one lingering question: if Jon Jones isn’t retired, then what’s next?

Jon Jones’s social media activity leads Israel Adesanya to doubt his retirement

According to former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, the answer is simple. Jon Jones will be back. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Adesanya shared his gut feeling after seeing Jones’ recent storm of cryptic tweets.

According to him, “I think he’ll come back, it’s the drama of it. Someone was telling me about the tweets. I had a look and I was like, ‘He’s coming back. What do the kids call it, rage-baiting? It’s working.”

While UFC boss Dana White declared Jones retired and promoted Tom Aspinall as the new undisputed heavyweight champion, Adesanya isn’t buying it just yet. In fact, he believes Jones is playing the long game, and that a mega-fight with Aspinall is still on the cards.

It’s no secret that the British star has been stuck in a holding pattern. After defeating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in 2023 to win the interim title, the Brit has even defended the belt at UFC 304 against Curtis Blaydes. That lengthy layoff made him the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history, through no fault of his own. But with his interim tag now removed, Aspinall is free to take the division forward.

He’s already expressed plans to fight twice before year’s end, and ‘The Last Stylebender’ believes that kind of momentum sets up the perfect storm. How? Adesanya explained, “They offered him $20, $30million? Yeah, I think he’ll come back. It’ll be even bigger by the time he comes back because Tom will have had two or three fights and built up his own legacy as well.”

So, is Jon Jones truly gone? Or just taking the scenic route back to the Octagon? With Khabib Nurmagomedov calling him the greatest, and Adesanya betting on his return, the signs are hard to ignore. Jones may have stepped away, but the story isn’t finished. In a sport where retirements are often temporary and legacies are written in comebacks, do you think Jon Jones’ retirement might just be a tease for his next chapter? Let us know in the comments below!