Jon Jones Fuels Speculation About UFC Return

Former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones is at it again on social media. Per usual, the arguable MMA GOAT is leaving more questions than answers, especially toward his immediate UFC future.

Jones has since continued his on-and-off cycle around retiring from MMA altogether. One of his latest tweets, which addresses fellow training partner Gable Steveson and his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison on Saturday, July 11, at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, is a clear indicator.

In a quote-tweet reply to a fan who asked Jones point-blank why he isn't fighting this summer, and 37-year-old Conor McGregor is, the New York native addressed it directly.

But, of course, in typical Jones fashion, it was head-scratching.

Could Jon Jones Return To UFC?

Never say never, right now we are finishing up Gable‘s training camp. He’s looking extraordinary. I’ve been his main training partner, and I’m moving like I never left. 🤷🏾 stem cells must be working. https://t.co/jZReRFKUP2
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 26, 2026

"Never say never, right now we are finishing up Gable‘s training camp," Jones wrote. "He’s looking extraordinary. I’ve been his main training partner, and I’m moving like I never left."

Capping the tweet off, Jones added one more hint of shock value.

"Stem cells must be working," Jones concluded, telling TMZ Sports previously of his ongoing problems with arthritis.

Jones addressed those concerns in February, which, according to him, should've never been public.

“Looks like a private conversation I had at DBX 5 in Houston made its way out into the wild,” Jones said. “It happens. Like most fighters, we deal with injuries quietly sometimes — and in my case, for years. A lot of us walk around limping most days, paying the ultimate price for our health.”

Jones said his physical problems are his to deal with alone, and if he does come back to MMA, whether with the UFC or otherwise, he will make that pivot clear himself.

Jon Jones Recognizes New Life Phase Post-UFC

“Even after becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport, my critics still give me grief about slowing down,” Jones, 38, said. “That’s called living to fight another day — taking the lessons learned and applying them to business instead of the Octagon. It’s called evolution.”

Jones has not fought in nearly two years, briefly retiring from MMA last summer after a fight against then-interim champion Tom Aspinall fell through. Jones expressed interest of competing at The White House two weeks ago, but the UFC went in a different direction and put on a seven-fight card from Washington, D.C. on the South Lawn without him.

Now, his priorities have shifted. He is a coach, and it appears that he is comfortable keeping it that way for the time being.

His next move, is ultimately his decision alone.

Only time will tell.

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