Is Jon Jones Making a Comeback? UFC Legend Teases Major Update After Tom Aspinall’s Decision
Gable Steveson says Tom Aspinall vacating the UFC heavyweight title could push Jon Jones toward a comeback, telling RMC Sport Combat the vacancy has reignited Jones' competitive fire.
Jon Jones retired last year, however, a fresh vacancy at the top of the UFC heavyweight division has reopened the conversation around his future. Tom Aspinall's decision to give up the title has left the belt without an owner, and Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson believes it could be enough to pull Jones back into the Octagon.
Steveson made the comments in a recent interview with RMC Sport Combat, pointing to the timing of Aspinall's exit as the kind of opening that tends to get retired fighters thinking twice. The remarks land at a moment when heavyweight contenders are already jockeying for position, and they add another layer to an already tense week for Jones, who is also trading barbs with reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Is Jon Jones eyeing a UFC comeback?
Jon Jones stepped away from active competition last year to explore opportunities outside the cage, closing out a heavyweight run that included wins over the sport's biggest names. That chapter looked settled until Aspinall's title vacation scrambled the division's plans.
“I think Jon would like to come back also, maybe seeing this belt open up put another fire into him. Jon's my training partner everyday in Albuquerque so I've seen what he can still do and I know he can do it at the highest level, and maybe his time will come again and I think it will,” Steveson shared.
Steveson, who has publicly discussed what it would take to dethrone Jones as the sport's GOAT, thinks the shakeup changes the calculus. Speaking about Jones' mindset, he said the belt coming open put another fire into him, and added that he still believes Jones can compete at the highest level whenever he chooses to return.
On the other side, Aspinall told fans he made the call because he didn't want to hold the heavyweight division up, citing eye complications stemming from an eye poke in his rematch with Ciryl Gane. With the champion sidelined and the title empty, names like Gane and Alex Pereira have already entered the contender conversation, giving Jones a division in flux to consider if he decides to lace the gloves back up.
What Is Jon Jones' Social Media Jab At Islam Makhachev About?
While the heavyweight picture plays out, Jones is dealing with a separate flashpoint involving Makhachev. The welterweight champion originally questioned the value of Jones' 20-fight undefeated streak, noting that Jones served two USADA suspensions along the way, even though both were ruled unintentional. Jones responded with a detailed five-point defense that also invoked the memory of Makhachev's late coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, and his respect for Jones' career.
Makhachev answered back on X, "Jon, I'm not trying to diminish your achievements in any way. But your whole life seems to be tied to breaking the rules one way or another, and somehow, you're never the one to be blamed."
Jones hasn't publicly answered that specific jab yet. Between a heavyweight title sitting open and a rival needling him in public, the pressure on his next move, in or out of the cage, is only building.