Despite claiming that he would retire after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, Jon Jones instead said on the microphone after the win that his current plan is to continue fighting. Jones would not name his next opponent in the cage but left the door open for a potential unification bout with interim champion Tom Aspinall.

“As far as my future in the Octagon, I've decided maybe I will not retire,” Jones said to Joe Rogan in his post-fight Octagon interview. “I have some conversations to have with Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell]. We have some negotiating to do. If everything goes right, maybe we'll give you guys what you want to see.”

Throughout fight week, Jones has said that his plan after UFC 309 was to target a super fight with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. However, many have grown irate at Jones' disinterest in fighting Aspinall, who has slowly become a fan favorite over the past year.

Jones would not mention either Aspinall or Pereira by name in the cage, leaving his statement up for interpretation. It was widely assumed that “what you guys want to see” alluded to Aspinall, considering the crowd's unanimous support for the Englishman. Aspinall was the backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event and watched the fight from his cage-side seat in Madison Square Garden.

As he mentioned at the UFC 309 pre-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White is fully on the side of Jones making his next title defense against Aspinall. Regardless, the negotiation process is far from even beginning. Aspinall has been the interim champion for over a full year, winning the belt at UFC 295 when Jones withdrew from his original matchup with Miocic.

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Jon Jones backtracks, confirms he has no interest in Tom Aspinall backstage

Jon Jones (red gloves) enters prior to fighting Stipe Miocoic (blue gloves) in the heavyweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Whether it was an adrenaline crash or a clarification point, Jones seemingly backtracked on his in-cage proposal of mentioning Aspinall. Jones explained that he is only interested in what he perceives to be a super fight with another legend moving forward in his post-fight presser.

“I'm not really worried about the Tom fight,” Jones said. “I'm really worried about the Pereira fight. That's what I want to do. If the UFC wants to have me back, I think that's the fight they'll have me make. I've been really clear about my intentions. I just feel like anybody would understand at this point. I'll retire the heavyweight belt if I have to.”

The ball would now appear to be in the UFC's court, particularly with Jones saying he would be willing to vacate the UFC heavyweight championship if they would not allow him to fight Pereira. Jones added that he would also be satisfied with UFC 309 being the final fight of his career if he cannot come to an agreement with the matchmakers.