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What Khabib Nurmagomedov said about Jon Jones’ surprise retirement that shows his humility

Originally posted on HITC | By Jamie Theodosi | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 2:49 PM ET

Jon Jones doesn’t have the support of everyone following his UFC retirement, but one fellow great Khabib Nurmagomedov is standing by him.

The long-running heavyweight saga came to an end on Saturday night, when Dana White confirmed Jones had retired from MMA.

In his absence, Tom Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion and quickly promised to get the division moving after months of uncertainty.

Jones, despite his standing in the sport, didn’t get the smoothest send-off. His retirement post was flooded with criticism from fans who objected to how he’d handled his title reign and recent absence.

Khabib Nurmagomedov names Jon Jones as UFC’s GOAT

Khabib Nurmagomedov is often mentioned in debates about the greatest UFC fighter of all time. But his recent message to Jon Jones shows he doesn’t see himself in that spot.

Taking a stance opposite to many angry fans reacting to Bones’ retirement, the Russian coach and former lightweight UFC champion praised the American MMA star’s career and called him an inspiration.

“My congratulations legend, even though we were not friends but you are the best to ever do it in UFC history and you inspire millions of people around the world. You have nothing more to prove in this sport,” Khabib wrote.

Khabib and Jones never fought and rarely shared the spotlight, but the two have often spoken about their respect for each other. When Khabib retired in 2020, Jones was one of the first to praise his remarkable run.

Dana White defends Jones against ducking accusations

Throughout the entire situation, Dana White repeatedly insisted the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight would happen, even saying he was “100%” confident.

Even after claiming to have met Jones’ pay demands, Aspinall’s team did not hear back – leading fans to accuse Jones of ducking the fight

Despite the noise, White still defended Jones’ decision, recently telling reporters that the only opponent Jones ever truly avoided was Chael Sonnen, not Aspinall.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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