"Take the belt from the duck" - MMA world reacts as Jon Jones drops official UFC retirement statement 

After months of speculation, Jon Jones has officially retired from the sport of MMA, and in doing so has relinquished his UFC heavyweight title. Despite Jones being widely regarded as the best fighter in MMA history, his retirement announcement was met with mixed reactions from fans. Some were quick to applaud 'Bones' for his one-of-a-kind career, whilst others chose to focus on the final chapter of his fighting life.

Since 2024 Jones has been heavily criticized for his lack of willingness to fight Tom Aspinall, the interim UFC heavyweight champion, in a title unification bout. The British fighter had won the interim belt at UFC 295, and following Jones' title heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, calls for a unification fight rang out across the MMA world.

But Aspinall will now become the official UFC undisputed heavyweight champion after Jones confirmed his retirement. The two-division champion took to X to share his statement, writing:

"Today, I'm officially announcing my retirement from the UFC. The 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. From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to push the boundaries of what was possible in this sport... As I close this chapter of my life, I look forward to new opportunities and challenges ahead. MMA will always be a part of who I am..."

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Check out Jon Jones' post below:

Prior to Jones' retirement annoucement, he had been accused of avoiding a fight with Aspinall by both fans and by the interim heavyweight champion. In response to the accusations, 'Bones' changed his profile picture on X to a duck wearing a UFC belt.

Following his recent announcement, @MagicM_MMABets wrote:

"Change the profile pic. Just take the belt from the duck."

Several fans shared positive words with 'Bones', writing this:

"Thank you for putting th3e UFC on the map!!!" "You would've bullied Tom Aspinall anyways. Good luck in the rest of your career goat."

Other fans were less forgiving of Jones, writing:

"You owe Tom an apology at the very least""Bro unfortunately you're no longer in the conversation for the greatest of all time"

See more fan reactions to Jon Jones retiring below:

Screenshot of fan reactions to Jon Jones' retirement announcement

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Edited by Liam Fresen