“Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from the UFC.” Jon Jones confirmed Dana White’s statement at the UFC Baku post-fight presser, declaring he has indeed stepped away from the sport. ‘Bones’ has been at the center of countless controversies throughout his career. Many don’t consider him the greatest of all time because of them. The Tom Aspinall saga added to that narrative, drawing even more backlash. Yet, glory never seems to leave his side.
Jones and Aspinall had everything they needed for a huge fight, but it never happened. Breaking Dana White’s dreams of a record-breaking pay-per-view. But both fighters were able to make history in their own ways. Tom Aspinall broke Renan Barao’s record of being interim champion for 534 days. And now, the Brit is the undisputed heavyweight champion. But the former heavyweight champion was also going to do something that doesn’t happen very often.
‘Bones’ was on the verge of breaking Cain Velasquez’s record for the longest heavyweight title reign. The Mexican icon held the 265 lbs crown for 896 days, and Jones fell just 58 days short of eclipsing that milestone. Still, that’s not the only piece of history he carved out. With his exit, Jon Jones joins an elite club. Becoming only the third fighter in UFC history to retire as champion, standing with legends Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre.
Jon Jones is now one of only three male UFC fighters to retire as the champ, joining Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov pic.twitter.com/d9FAeCMzSR
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 23, 2025
‘GSP’ ran through the entire welterweight division before taking a four-year break after edging out Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. He returned in style, submitting Michael Bisping to claim the middleweight title at UFC 217. Later, he revealed his battle with ulcerative colitis and vacated the belt. Joining Jones as a rare two-division champ who retired on top. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov bowed out after UFC 254, retiring undefeated following an emotional win over Justin Gaethje after his father’s passing.
However, that’s not the only piece of glory Jones walked away with. He may have gotten something he likely never expected in his lifetime—praise from one of his fiercest rivals. Yes, you read that right. A moment of unexpected respect from a longtime foe. So, let’s dive into what that was all about.
Jon Jones gets rare praise from Daniel Cormier after his retirement
If someone knows even a little bit about UFC history, they know that Jones and Cormier’s fight was just as big as Khabib and Conor’s. During the UFC 178 post-presser face-off, ‘Bones’ got into a fight that caused a lot of trouble. They didn’t just hit each other; they also said harsh things to each other. Even though the bad feelings between them faded over time, Daniel Cormier never stopped throwing digs at his hated adversary.
However, ‘DC’ has had heaps and praises for Jones as he stated during an ESPN MMA interview, “I was never better than that time in Anaheim. That was the best I’ve ever been, and [Jones] beat me, and because of that, I will always respect him for his skills and what he did inside the octagon. In that eight-sided fence, there was no one like him.”
Cormier here referred to the time when Jones knocked him out at UFC 214 in Anaheim—a result that was later overturned after ‘Bones’ tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Still, the recent praise from someone like ‘DC’ came as a genuine surprise. As noted by popular MMA account Championship Rounds on X, Jones caught wind of it and responded on his Instagram story with a short but telling message: “Rare W.”
With that being said, do you think the UFC’s star power in the heavyweight division will start to fade now that Jon Jones has officially stepped away? Or will Tom Aspinall rise to the occasion and draw just as many eyes as his legendary predecessor? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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