Overview
- During a Super Bowl week interview, the former two-division champion told Helen Yee, “I think I could be done,” describing a future focused on mentoring rather than competition.
- A privately recorded conversation that surfaced recently revealed severe arthritis in his left hip and potential need for replacement, which he criticized as an invasion of privacy.
- Jones said long‑term brain health weighs heavily on his decision, recounting meeting a retired fighter who could not remember his birthday.
- After notifying UFC of retirement last June, he re‑entered the drug‑testing pool once the White House card was announced and has been tested once in 2026, yet a return remains uncertain.
- His push to face Alex Pereira has cooled as UFC leadership downplayed the matchup, while a charity‑event exchange with Demetrious Johnson saw both agree the GOAT question is a matter of opinion; Jones even said he would need to “give [his] all” to beat Johnson.