Should Jon Jones Return — Perhaps In Boxing?

Amir Khan, the former unified junior welterweight champion, doesn’t believe Jon Jones should step into the boxing ring.

Jones has shown interest in returning for the UFC’s potential White House event next summer following his recent retirement, which had ended hopes of a Tom Aspinall bout. However, Dana White is not keen on that idea, as concerns remain over Jones’ personal life amid his recent legal troubles for a misdemeanor charge over fleeing a scene of an accident. Jones has been linked with a boxing fight previously when Tyson Fury called him out, only for that not to materialize. Khan does not see that as a good option.

Khan On Jones

“There’s no one touching him, honestly, one of the best, and put him in a room with anyone. He’s knocking them out. He’s cleaning him out. He’s very dangerous. He’s one guy you don’t want to meet in a backstreet, no matter who you are, even if it’s like a Mike Tyson, but he’s not going to be the same animal in the boxing ring. He’s gonna make himself stupid. I don’t think he ever needs to do that, because he’s only going to mess his own legacy up,” Khan said 

Elsewhere, Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Jon Jones’ legacy remains uncertain, despite his accolades. Jones retired as a two-division UFC champion, finishing his career with a dominant win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. However, his failure to face interim champ Tom Aspinall has left a notable gap in his resume. Legal troubles have also clouded his image. While Jones’ light heavyweight reign featured wins over stars like Gustafsson, Machida, Shogun, and Cormier, Khabib made it clear that accolades and legacy aren’t the same thing.

Jones’ Legacy

“Legacy and achievement are two different things, a lot of people confuse those two concepts. What is legacy? Legacy is when kids look at you and feel inspired by you. As a fighter, he’s the best. As a person, in terms of inspiration, character, when it comes to personal qualities, there will always be questions. As an athlete, he reached greatness. He has no equal but there will always be questions about doping, whether he was caught or not, and yes, he was caught. That’s a fact,” Nurmagomedov said