One of the UFC’s greatest champions appears to be giving up his title.
Jon Jones, the longtime UFC light heavyweight champ, took to Twitter on Sunday and stated that he planned to relinquish the belt and take time off from the Octagon.
“To the light heavyweight title Veni, vidi, vici,” Jones wrote on Twitter, after noting in a separate tweet, “Bones out.”
On Monday, White responded to Jones’ vacating claim. The UFC president issued a statement to the Vancouver Courier:
“Jon Jones is one of the greatest to ever do it,” said White. “The decision he wants to make regarding his career is up to him. The reality is that he’s made enough money from fighting that he’s now in the position to retire and never work again in his life.”
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Jones wrote that he has “nothing to really gain” from fighting top light heavyweight contenders Dominick Reyes or Jan Blachowicz, and that those two should fight for the vacant title.
“He can do whatever he wants,” White said at the UFC Las Vegas postfight news conference.
“He wants to sit out, fight, he can do whatever. He can say whatever he wants publicly. It’s his God-given right in America. He can say whatever he wants. When he’s ready to come back, he can.
“In one of his tweets, he said I tarnished his name. I tarnished you? You’ve done a very good job of tarnishing you.”
