Exclusive: Volkan Oezdemir doesn't believe Jon Jones will retire after potential Stipe Miocic fight in November
Jon Jones is expected to return to the octagon against Stipe Miocic, with the pair set to compete for the heavyweight title. 'Bones' won the belt at UFC 285 when he submitted Ciryl Gane to emphatically announce his arrival in the division.
He was scheduled to fight Miocic at UFC 295 later that year but suffered a torn pectoral muscle in preparation for the fight, forcing him to withdraw. Their fight was replaced by an interim title clash between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich, which Aspinall won by way of first-round knockout.
With 'Bones' having accomplished almost everything an athlete could hope to in MMA, there is an expectation that his fight with Miocic will be his final appearance in the octagon.
Coupled with that, the serious injury that he suffered in 2023 and his own comments about what few challenges there are left for him to achieve, the consensus is that his retirement is on the horizon.
But according to UFC light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, he will likely fight twice more. During a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, he shared his thoughts on Jones' retirement, saying:
"I think maybe one more [after Miocic] but Stipe is definitely something that is gonna cement his legacy. Maybe we'll see if they need to unify the belts, Aspinall will have to keep his belt... Maybe [Jones will fight Alex] Pereira, he said so. But anybody interesting will be Aspinall."
See Oezdemir's comments on Jon Jones retiring below from 12:25:
Jon Jones allegedly reveals his purse for clash with Stipe Miocic
Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will almost certainly be fighting next, with UFC CEO Dana White coming out in support of them facing off.
The bout is yet to be officially re-announced, but there are rumors that the pair will clash in November. Ahead of their potential fight, 'Bones' engaged in a discussion with a fan by DM'ing them.
Having been criticized by much of the MMA fanbase for opting to fight Miocic instead of interim champion Tom Aspinall, Jones appeared to want to get his own back, and in doing so, may have revealed his next fight purse.
He appeared to write:
"I've already agreed to make $15 million in my next fight... hell yeah bro. I'm about to beat up this old man. And ride off into the sunset. Hope you enjoy watching Will."
See Jon Jones' full alleged exchange with the fan below: