UFC CEO: Heavyweight Title Fight Was 'Done' Before Jones Changed Mind

Dana White doesn’t have answers as to whether Jon Jones’ latest legal troubles hastened his retirement, but he does know this much: Jones vs. Tom Aspinall was all but a done deal before “Bones” changed his mind.

“I saw [the news about Jones’ legal troubles] today. When I saw it today I said everybody’s going to think this is why he retired. Maybe that is why he retired. Who the hell knows. I don’t know. These are all questions you’ve got to ask him,” White said during a media scrum (via MMAFighting.com).


“We had the fight done. You saw me talking about it very confidently that this fight was going to happen and he changed his mind.”

According to the UFC CEO, Jones and Aspinall was targeted for the promotion’s annual event at Madison Square Garden in November. Those plans fell through when Jones abruptly had a change of heart regarding his future.

Jones vs. Aspinall Targeted for MSG Before ‘Bones’ Retired

“He called us and just started saying ‘you know what, I think I’m done, I want to retire. It’s been a great run, I appreciate everything’ and that was it,” White told MMA Fighting during a media scrum at Fanatics Fest. “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.

“You never know what Jon Jones is dealing with and then you wake up the next day [and there’s new criminal charges]. Who knows. I don’t know everything that went into this decision. It’s something you guys are going to have to ask him if you ever see him again … all I know is he made it very clear that he wanted to retire and I don’t disagree with him.”

Assuming his retirement holds up, Jones ends his career with a 28-1 career mark with one no contest and title reigns at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. He last appeared at UFC 309 this past November, when he defeated Stipe Miocic via third-round stoppage in New York.