Before defending his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309, Jon Jones appeared to be retiring. After makes Miocic's job easyJones has changed his tune, although he wants a significant amount of money to fight again in 2025.
“Right now the UFC and I are in negotiations,” Jones said during a press conference Interview with The Schmo. “We are in discussions to see what happens next. I'm back in the gym, I'm training, I feel really great. The support of the team, they are right behind me and we will just be prepared for anything. “The opportunity is presented to us. … Yes, I will most likely run in 2025.
While Jones said he has a dollar amount in mind for a return, he refused to disclose how much it would cost the UFC to get him back in the Octagon.
What Jones didn't make clear was who his opponent would be in a hypothetical fight in 2025. The fight that everyone, from fans to UFC CEO Dana White, wants to see is Jones against interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Jones, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated that he is much more interested in a fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
After UFC 309, White said there was “no way” to compare Jones to Pereira, claiming Jones was too big for the former middleweight and current light heavyweight champion now that he has fully settled into the heavyweight division.
At the post-fight press conference, Jones reiterated his desire to fight Pereira.
“I’m not really worried about the Tom fight,” Jones said. “I'm worried about the Pereira fight. This is what I want to do. I think if the UFC wants me back then I think they will make this fight. I made my intentions really clear. That is.” What I want. I just feel like at this point everyone would understand that I will retire the heavyweight belt if I have to.
Jones left the door just a crack for an Aspinall fight, saying: “I just don't like him and at the end of the day if I give him the opportunity to fight me, that's how I want to be compensated – I want to say it, I want this money, otherwise my life is nothing without him and he needs me and that’s a good place to be in a negotiation.”
