Where is heavyweight morale a year after Jon Jones...
Key takeaways
- The "announcement," which took place on June 21, 2025, essentially cratered the heavyweight division.
- The answer is a lot and nothing at all at the same time.
- Let's take a look at the key heavyweight events of the past 365 days and gauge on a scale from 1 to 10 how each storyline increased or decreased heavyweight morale.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
It's been a year since UFC CEO Dana White announced the retirement of Jon Jones, his reigning heavyweight champion and the greatest fighter in the company's history, during a news conference after an event in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The "announcement," which took place on June 21, 2025, essentially cratered the heavyweight division. Tom Aspinall, the then-interim champion, was unceremoniously promoted to undisputed champion but lacked an exciting challenger. Not only did Aspinall miss out on a superfight against Jones, he also inherited a stale, uninspiring class of potential opponents. Morale around the state of the weight class was so low that White's Baku announcement actually fit the situation.
How much has changed in the year since? The answer is a lot and nothing at all at the same time. The UFC is back in Baku this weekend for a UFC Fight Night, and its heavyweight division once again has an interim champ (Ciryl Gane) and an undisputed champ who might never fight in the UFC again (Aspinall). Jones is retired, but no one really believes he means it, which was the feeling a year ago when it was first announced.