Jon Jones, who is widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has officially retired from competition, according to UFC CEO Dana White.

White revealed that Jones, 37, informed the promotion of his decision to retire on Friday. The UFC was in the process of setting up a heavyweight title unification bout between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall, but with Jones stepping away, Aspinall is now the undisputed champion.

During a news conference in Azerbaijan, White stated, "Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC."

Following the announcement, Jones did not provide immediate comments. White mentioned that the UFC will be working with Aspinall next week to arrange his first title defense.

Jones, with a record of 28-1, moved up from the light heavyweight division to claim the vacant heavyweight championship by defeating Ciryl Gane in 2023. He successfully defended the belt once during his 27-month title reign, securing a third-round TKO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November.

A potential bout between Jones and Aspinall was highly anticipated in UFC heavyweight history, but Jones consistently played down the significance of the match, arguing that a win over Aspinall would not add to his legacy. His lack of interest led to accusations of him avoiding Aspinall, with an online petition calling for Jones to be stripped of his title garnering nearly 200,000 signatures.

White expressed sympathy for Aspinall's lost time and money due to Jones' retirement but commended Aspinall's willingness to fight anyone. He praised Aspinall's character and expressed excitement about working with him as the new heavyweight champion.

Throughout his career, Jones, who resides and trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He made history at 21 by becoming the youngest UFC champion when he defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the 205-pound title in 2011. Jones holds a record of 16-0 in UFC championship fights, the most in history. He is also one of nine fighters to have held UFC titles in multiple weight classes, with his 22 career wins tying for the fifth most in UFC history.

Despite his success in the Octagon, Jones faced legal issues outside of his fighting career. In 2015, he was arrested and charged with a felony hit-and-run after fleeing the scene of a vehicle accident that injured a pregnant woman. Jones pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received supervised probation. Additionally, he was suspended from competition for one year in 2016 following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, which he attributed to contaminated legal supplements.