The UFC heavyweight division has been in a state of suspended animation for over a year, with fans, fighters, and analysts all asking the same question: When will Jon Jones finally defend his title against interim champion Tom Aspinall ? Now, in a bombshell social media announcement, Jones has declared he will “give up the belt freely,” signaling the end of a reign defined as much by inactivity and controversy as by dominance and legacy.

The Tweet Heard ‘Round the MMA World'

Late Thursday night, Jon Jones took to X with a post that was equal parts confession, provocation, and self-mythologizing. Responding to mounting calls for him to be stripped of the UFC heavyweight championship, Jones wrote: Expand Tweet Expand Tweet

The message was as clear as it was defiant: Jones is not wa

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