It seems that UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones is already thinking about life after MMA.
Jones has been a staple of the promotion since his historic title win at UFC 128 in 2011. Aged just 23 at the time, he defeated reigning champ Maurício Rua to become the youngest UFC champion in history — a record he still holds today, 14 years on.
However, despite dominating for so long, Jones’ fight schedule has slowed significantly in recent years. Between 2010 and 2020, Jones fought 17 times. In stark comparison, he has fought just three times since the start of 2020. The ongoing Tom Aspinall saga has only served to fuel more speculation.
So Jones is not only thinking about the next chapter of his life,but has a fairly clear idea of what to do.
Speaking to celebrity barber and entrepreneur VicBlends on an episode of ‘DeepCut, Jones was quick to praise Conor McGregor’s business acumen during his UFC career. Inspired by the Irishman’s approach to the promotional side of the sport, Jones stressed his desire to be a leading light for the next generation of MMA stars.
“Instead of being just the champion fighter, now my approach is be one of the leaders in business,” revealed Jones. “We have guys like Conor McGregor, who was clearly in a different atmosphere when it comes to business as a fighter. But to be the greatest MMA fighter who will transition into being a brilliant businessman, that would be a first.”
Conor McGregor was a pioneer
McGregor was the first UFC fighter of his kind, excelling both in the Octagon and on the microphone, proving peerless in both arenas. ‘Notorious’ often had his opponents beat before a punch was thrown. That was by weaponizing his voice to wage psychological warfare. The media attention this created made Conor a crossover star.
More importantly, it generated increased income for not only himself but his fellow fighters.
“Conor was a great fighter. But to be the best fighter and to be an extraordinary businessman, I wanna show these young fighters that you can get after it all. In the cage and in business,” Jones added.
The conversation naturally led the celebrity barber to ask Jon Jones about his inevitable retirement from MMA. Responding in his calm and measured tone, Jones seemed contemplative but ultimately ready for the next phase of his career.
Jon Jones: MMA retirement doesn’t scare me
“I’ve had a very controversial career, and I’ve taken lots of breaks throughout my UFC career. To go from light heavyweight to heavyweight, I took off a solid three years. I just vacated my belt. No one asked me to do it, prompted me to do it. I just decided to do it.
“I have had a healthy amount of time being Jon ‘Bones’ Jones in my adult life, but I also have a healthy amount of time just being Jonathan without the belt, without the fans, without the glitz. Even living in a community like this helps ground me and keeps me humble. So no, I’m not afraid of me.”
Based on the comprehensive answer to such an important question, it suggests that Jones has been thinking about his retirement in depth for quite some time now. Looking back on the sporadic nature of the last five years of his career, it perhaps goes some way to explaining the reasons for his attitude towards Tom Aspinall and their heavyweight bout.
If Jones is happy with what he’s achieved and already relishing the next chapters of his life and career, the fight against Tom Aspinall may be even further away than first thought.
