• Jon Jones Retires, Future Of UFC Heavyweight Title Revealed
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is stepping away from the Octagon for good, and there’s a new king of the heavyweight division. UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement following UFC’s debut event in Baku, Azerbaijan. Speaking at the post-fight press conference, White revealed that Jones personally contacted the organization and informed them of his decision to retire. With Jones out of the picture, interim champion Tom Aspinall has officially been recognized as the new Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. The move ends speculation over a potential unification bout between Jones and Aspinall, a matchup fans had long been waiting for.
🚨 TOM ASPINALL IS THE OFFICIAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP@DanaWhite has announced that Jon Jones has RETIRED, thus elevating @AspinallMMA to become the heavyweight champ 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oJ8a9nl8KT
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2025
Just days earlier, White had hinted at pushing to make Jones vs. Aspinall happen, setting a deadline for the fight to be finalized. But with Jones unexpectedly pulling the plug, the UFC Heavyweight Title picture has changed dramatically.
Aspinall now moves forward as the division’s top name, while the legendary career of Jon Jones appears to have reached its final chapter. Jones retires with a record of 28-1-1, with his only loss being a disqualification loss to Matt Hamill, where he destroyed Hamill with illegal elbows.
Jones once teased a fight with Brock Lesnar. After defeating Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in 2017 (later overturned to a No Contest because of Jon’s drug test failure), Jones said the following in the post-fight interview:
“Brock Lesnar, if you want to know what it feels like to get your a$$ kicked by a guy who weighs 40 pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon.”
Lesnar’s response was: “Be careful what you wish for.”
• Steve Austin Wants To Have One More Match
Rumblings from WrestleMania weekend suggest that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (age 60) may not be completely finished with in-ring competition. Austin, who originally retired in 2003 after his WrestleMania XIX match against The Rock, made a shocking comeback nearly two decades later to battle Kevin Owens in the main event of WrestleMania 38 – Night 1. While that return was long assumed to be a one-time deal, new chatter behind the scenes hints at the possibility of another match in the future. According to sources who spoke to Fightful Select, Austin hinted during WrestleMania 41 weekend that he “might have one more in him.” While nothing official has been confirmed, the comment was taken by those who heard it as a serious indication that he’s at least open to lacing up the boots again—if the circumstances are right.
Interestingly, Austin previously said he hadn’t heard from TKO since they assumed control of WWE. Yet, he still appeared during WrestleMania week, fueling speculation that the company may be warming up talks once again.
Over the last few years, numerous wrestlers have reportedly expressed interest in facing Austin. CM Punk’s name, in particular, continues to come up in fantasy match discussions within WWE’s circles.
Fightful also noted that WWE pitched Austin the idea of facing then Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39 in 2023, which didn’t happen.
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