Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones says he remains open to fighting again despite announcing his retirement last year.
Jones stepped away from the sport following a lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to finalize a heavyweight title unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall in 2025. More recently, he expressed interest in coming out of retirement for a potential showdown with former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at the UFC's planned White House event, though UFC president Dana White instead matched Pereira against Ciryl Gane.
Despite the setbacks, Jones revealed during an interview with Ring Magazine on Thursday that the possibility of another Octagon appearance remains very much alive.
"When it comes to me actually fighting anyone, I just keep the door open," Jones said. "I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool. I get drug tested, blood tested all the time. The door is open. If I get that calling, maybe from the higher powers, just kind of that tugging, then I'm going to have to answer that call."
For now, however, the 38-year-old said his priorities lie outside of fighting.
"But right now, I feel like I'm in the right place, which is serving someone else," Jones said. "As long as I'm in the drug testing pool the UFC are contractually obligated to offer me a few fights a year. I haven't heard anything from them in a while."
"Right now, my main focus is just being a good dad, being a good family man. When I get offered to fight, that's going to be great. And we'll see how I feel when that time comes."
Jones also addressed his relationship with White after the two briefly reunited during International Fight Week in Las Vegas last week, suggesting that any previous tensions between them have not damaged their long-standing business relationship.
"Things are great. It was good to see Dana the other day," Jones said. "We laughed, we took a good photo together. In order to do big business, you can't hold grudges."
"I've made Dana millions of dollars over the years and he's made me millions of dollars over the years. And so it's not always about how you feel about a person. You know, it's just like, can we still work together? Can we still do business together?"
Jones added that he believes the two will always be able to collaborate professionally, even if they are not particularly close on a personal level.
"I feel like we're always going to be able to make money together," Jones said. "Will I be invited to his house on Christmas? Probably not. But the guy changed my life and he is a homie for life."
