"Seems like he’ll be back" - MMA pros react to Jon Jones' surprise UFC retirement 

Jon Jones' retirement announcement is the talk of the MMA town right now. The now-former heavyweight champion is widely regarded as the best fighter of all time.. As such, his departure will leave an indelible mark on the sport, and numerous fighters have taken to social media to share their reactions to the news.

One fighter in particular, UFC middleweight contender Julian Marquez, believes that 'Bones' will return to the octagon before too long. He shared his thoughts on X following UFC CEO Dana White's confirmation that Jones had retired. Marquez wrote:

"Jon Jones retired and there isn't anything masive put together for his announcement? Just a post-fight 3 second clip of Dana announcing it... Seems like he'll be back to me."

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Brazilia heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida took his chance to call out the new heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. He wrote:

"Congrats champ. You deserve that. Now, let's make the only fight who makes sense! Aspinall vs. Almeida for undisputed heavyweight title of the world. [Ciryl] Gane ducks you and me before, already fought for the belt and lost 2-times, and his last win [was] a robbery."

The new heavyweight champion of the UFC shared his reaction to the news by writing:

"For you fans. It's time to get this heavyweight division going. An active undisputed champion."

Professional boxer Jake Paul dubbed 'Bones' as the greatest ever, writing:

"Congrats Jon. You the GOAT."

Former UFC fighter Josh Thomson was thankful that his former teammate, ex-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, will continue holding the record for the longest heavyweigt title reign in promotional history. Thomson wrote:

"Glad Jon Jones didn't break Cain Velasquez's HW title length as champion by not fighting. Glad MMA can move on from this chapter. It's #TomTime."

Screenshots of pro fighters and MMA figures reacting to Jones' retirement

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Jon Jones releases his official UFC retirement post

Following UFC Baku on June 21, promotional CEO Dana White appeared in front of the media and confirmed that Jon Jones had retired from the sport. Soon thereafter, 'Bones' took to X to share his own statement.

The former two-division heavyweight champion wrote:

"Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from the UFC. This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years..."

Catch Jon Jones' post below:

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Edited by Liam Fresen