John Jones remains a mystery as to his future in the UFC.
The dominant heavyweight champion is waiting for the entire world of combat sports with breath, looking into whether he will actually compete again. More recently, UFC CEO Dana White hopes to get a definitive answer on Jones vs Aspinel in the “next few weeks,” and if the fight isn’t fixed, the promotion plans to move forward in another match soon.
His latest interviews were made before those comments, but Jones now sounded very uninterested in booking a fight with anyone.
“I don’t want to say I’m retired because the fighting is in my blood,” Jones told the Full Send Podcast. “Now I couldn’t care much about fighting. I’m doing my whole life at a very high level. When the itch comes back, when it comes back, I’ll do it all for the heart.
“But now I look around and understand the truth, the truth. People look at me, I make people feel, it’s extraordinary. It’s a real blessing. Now my work serves it, gives it to my fans, it’s reachable and easy to touch.
As for Aspinall, Jones actually paid him a tribute, but also issued a rather sober warning to the UFC interim heavyweight champion.
“I think he’s great,” Jones said of aspinel. “I think he should continue and have a great career.
“No, I don’t think he needs me. I think when I want something bad enough, if you get it, it could be the worst thing that’s happened to you.”
Here’s a little message from Jones regarding the future of his battle. Because as much as he appears to be in a hurry to the Octagon, he seems to be hearing constant callouts and comments from aspinel.
In his latest tilade, Aspinel claimed that Jones had already retired, and he claimed that he had declared himself the uncontroversial UFC heavyweight champion.
That said, Jones knows he’s going to make headlines, and nothing happens by chance when he deals with his future in sports.
“I love being the ultimate troll,” Jones said. “I’m in a place where I really enjoy the fruits of my labor. I’m putting all the effort I put in. He’s not in a position to excite me. That’s just the truth.
“If I hopop his ass, it’s going to be the next guy. There’s going to be a whole new fanbase of someone who everyone believes. I’ve done this whole adult life. I remember Rashad (Evans) and Raioto (Mashida) fans years ago.
Of course, Jones has seen blowbacks from fans as to whether he will ultimately fight Aspinel in a matchup that could become the biggest fight in UFC heavyweight division history.
Jones has heard it all from an online petition asking the UFC to leave the title away from him and ask for retirement, but he has no problem weathering the storm.
“I’m a company guy and there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, my job is to just sit down, stay still and get punished,” Jones said.
“My job at the UFC is to do the right thing for the company. I can easily say I’m not fighting. My job is to cool down and that’s what I’m doing.”
Regarding all the questions about his future, Jones confesses that he hopes he will compete again in the end, but there is no timeline that it may actually happen. The response may be the one that falls below the skin of Aspinall.
“I think I’ll fight again in the future,” Jones said. “I think I’ll fight again. Where the future of combat sports is on the way, it’s going to be amazing when I back up. But now I’m focusing on a lot of other things like building this brand, building my home, and more like family.”