Jon Jones On Retirement: I’ve Proved A Lot And There’s No Need To Do It After 30
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has achieved an incredible amount at the young age of 26. ‘Bones has amassed a 19-1 record and on the way became the youngest ever UFC champ, youngest champ to defend a belt and also he holds the longest win streak in LHW history at 10.
The sport that he has become such a legend in is very brutal and has a very short shelf life, on the most part. Don’t get me wrong, guys like Dan Henderson, Jens Pulver and many others fight on with valour, but their best days are clearly behind them. It’s no wonder that in such a physically demanding sport Jones wants to come out unscathed.
Check out what the 205lb. kingpin said to MMAJunkie.com regarding his career:
“I don’t want to be one of these guys that are taking fights way past their prime. I want to leave my legacy in a healthy spot,” Jones said. “I want my legacy to be respected and I just want to leave on top.”
“Right now, where I’m at financially, I never thought I would be, so I could honestly retire today [and be financially secure].”
While Jones is such a dominant force, it would be simple for him to make the decision to retire decision, especially while he has no unavenged losses. The problem usually comes when guys lose their ‘last fight’ and can’t deal with going out on a loss.
Alexander Gustafsson proved that Jones can be hurt, or even hit, so how long will it be before someone successfully defeats ‘Bones’?
“I’ve had a lot of doors be opened through MMA and I just feel like there’s a lot of other business out there,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of other business out there. “I feel like it’s been fun. I’ve got a little bit more to prove, but I’ve also proven a lot already and there’s no need to do it after 30. I think I’m a smart enough guy to be able to do a lot of other things.”
Jones has always been a cerebral fighter, using his length and physical prowess to outgun opponents. Would he be able to walk away from the sport in four years time if he lost his belt in his last fight?
It seems to me like Jones is set apart from guys like Hendo, Pulver, even Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. The older guys in MMA started for different reasons, the pay was nowhere to be seen back then and the motive for most guys was the desire to fight.
It doesn’t seem to me that Jones had the same baptism of fire that older legends did, but that isn’t a bad thing. He is an athlete rather than a fighter, in my opinion, a man who practices his sporting talent with near perfection. It is clear that Jones wants to do more with his life than fight, yet we could still see more than four more years from the 205lb. boss.
Lots can change in the space of time between retirement and potentially 16 more fights. What if he gets taken out Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva style, and people start questioning his legacy?
