Dan Hardy believes Jon Jones will retire in the near future for several reasons.
Over the past fifteen years, Jones has solidified himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Although he’s continuing to dominate top-tier talent, there is widespread belief that ‘Bones’ will retire within the next year or two.
Before worrying about what’s next, Jones is focused on defending his UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic on November 11. If ‘Bones’ can emerge victorious, he would have to decide whether or not to start fighting the fresher rising contenders.
During a recent video posted on YouTube, Dan Hardy discussed Jones and Miocic potentially returning soon with his wife, Veronica Hardy. ‘The Outlaw’ had this to say:
“Stipe [Miocic] has got to be within a fight or two [of retiring]…[Jon Jones is close to retiring] but not because he has to be. Why would you hang around to see what Jailton Almeida is like to fight? I don’t think I would want to. Yeah, front-kick me in the face and take me down.”
As previously mentioned, Jon Jones is nearing high-risk, low-reward matchups against dangerous contenders like Sergei Pavlovich, Tom Aspinall, and Jailton Almeida.
Jones’ legacy wouldn’t be significantly affected by defeating these fighters. With that said, they all have a chance to secure a win and put a stain on his record. Therefore, it’s not guaranteed that ‘Bones’ will stick around to endure these challenges.
Dan Hardy agrees with Veronica Hardy about Jon Jones being exhausted from years of training
Regardless of the potential opponents, Jon Jones might want to retire for another reason. Over the last two decades, Jones has dedicated his life to combat sports.
Now that he’s made millions of dollars, the reigning UFC heavyweight champion could be looking to move on from the stress and rigorous training that comes from being a world-class fighter.
During the same YouTube video, Dan Hardy agreed with Veronica Hardy about the wear and tear of training potentially being a factor in Jones wanting to retire:
“That’s why he’s not going to stick around. He’s sick of it because people should know he’s king and not be arguing about it…I totally get your point. I can imagine he’s exhausted [from training hard for years].”
On November 11, Jon Jones has an opportunity to further his debate as the greatest fighter of all time. Despite what some fans might think, it’ll be easier said than done, as Stipe Miocic has the experience and well-rounded skillset to test ‘Bones.’
It’ll be intriguing to see who emerges victorious in the main event of UFC 295, which goes down inside the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
