UFC: Jon Jones Announces Retirement, Contra Duel Plan Tom Aspinall Buyar

Two UFC heavyweight stars, Jon Jones (left) and Tom Aspinall. (UFC)

JAKARTA - Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White announced heavyweight champion (120.2 kg) Jon Jones retired from the UFC so that while champion Tom Aspinall was promoted to the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

"Jon Jones called us last night and declared his retirement. Jon Jones has officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the UFC heavyweight champion," Dana White said after the UFC Baku event as reported by the MMA Fighting page monitored in Jakarta, Sunday.

White recently said he set a deadline to set up Jones' match against Aspinall after months without any certainty about the fight.

However, previously, Jones also stated that currently he no longer cares about the fight, although he also hesitates to use the word retirement in his career.

However, the United States champion finally made the decision to end his career in MMA and let the heavyweight UFC division run without him.

Jones' resignation came seven months after his win over Stipe Miocic and doubts made the heavyweight division delayed, but White admits he has no regrets for giving the former world champion time to decide on his future.

"Listen, if you see what he has accomplished in this sport, no (I don't regret it). That's what it is," White said.

Regarding Aspinall, White praised his patience during the ordeal, as the UFC tried to bring him to Jones in a heavyweight title unification match.

While that is not the result he wants with the opportunity to fight and may defeat an opponent who is considered the greatest of all time, Aspinall can still become a champion with a bright future ahead of him.

"I definitely feel bad for Tom because he lost a lot of time and of course money, but we will make it up," he said.

He continued, Aspinall was a good and very extraordinary man during the whole process that had been going through. The England champion is willing to do anything, fight anywhere and anytime.

"Aspinall is extraordinary. He will be a great heavyweight champion for us. I am very excited to work with him," he said.

There is no word yet when Aspinall will play again, but the challenger who is most likely to face him is a two-time title challenger, Ciryl Gane or Jailon Almeida, who has two straight wins in the heavyweight division.