Jon Jones operated on his terms until the very end

UFC CEO Dana White delivering the status quality of arguably the top mixed martial creator of each clip astatine a postfight quality league successful Baku, Azerbaijan, aft Saturday's UFC Fight Night paper was arsenic underwhelming arsenic it gets.

White's code suggested that helium was fto down -- again -- by the antheral he precocious called the champion pound-for-pound combatant successful the world.

That antheral -- Jon Jones -- has operated connected his presumption and moved astatine his ain pace. His status was nary different.

But should anybody beryllium amazed Jones decided to spell retired this way? More importantly, bash we judge that this is truly the extremity of Jones' analyzable career?

For amended oregon worse, Jones is easy the astir selfish combatant successful UFC history. And that has worked brilliantly for his MMA vocation and to the detriment of everyone else.

Jones' status squashed a highly anticipated heavyweight rubric unification combat betwixt Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall aft months of volition they, won't they. Jones went retired of his mode to denigrate Aspinall arsenic an opponent, calling him unproven and annoying. At the aforesaid time, helium opted to instrumentality a legacy-furthering combat with 42-year-old erstwhile champion Stipe Miocic that whitethorn property amended connected paper. There was nary existent crushed for the Miocic combat to hap different than the UFC gifting Miocic a payday and feeding Jones' ego. White felt assured capable past December to warrant "100 percent" the combat would hap and Jones would instrumentality connected Aspinall next.

Instead, Jones routinely teased retirement, floated bouts against non-Aspinall opponents specified arsenic Alex Pereira and Francis Ngannou and seemingly laughed astatine the thought that helium could beryllium stripped of his title.

And remember, you can't portion a feline similar maine astatine this constituent I springiness the loop up freely. Veni, vidi, vici. 😘

"The combat was done," White told the media connected Sunday successful New York. "We had the combat done a agelong clip ago. Why helium decided not to fight, you guys volition person to inquire him that."

Jones has fto radical down earlier to support control. There is nary interest for the fans, his promoter, oregon his teammates. But the top athletes ever person a quirk that separates them from the rest. Jones' quirk conscionable happens to beryllium selfishness.

That selfishness has protected him for his full MMA career. Without it, helium whitethorn not beryllium wherever helium is today.

Jones not warring Aspinall is conscionable 1 of galore examples wherever Jones has enactment his needs first, careless of who has helped him get to wherever helium is. The UFC could person abandoned Jones during his litany of ineligible issues. Instead, they stood by their astir fashionable and profitable star, possibly much than immoderate different combatant extracurricular of Conor McGregor.

But what astir erstwhile Jones leapfrogged his Jackson Wink teammate Rashad Evans to combat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the airy heavyweight title? What was allegedly a adjacent narration betwixt grooming partners dissolved into a vitriolic warfare of words that led to Evans leaving the gym. Evans called retired Jones for being "fake" and said his "good feline act" would yet autumn apart. Jones went connected to decision Evans astatine UFC 145 successful 2012, but the words of his rival person hung implicit Jones' career.

Jones besides turned down a short-notice combat with Chael Sonnen, causing the cancellation of UFC 151 successful 2012, the archetypal clip a UFC pay-per-view was called off. To beryllium clear, Jones had 3 days near successful his grooming campy erstwhile helium learned Dan Henderson was injured and Sonnen, a erstwhile middleweight rubric contender, had offered to measurement in. White's disgust with Jones rang large and wide connected a league telephone announcing the cancellation.

"This is 1 of the astir selfish, disgusting decisions that doesn't conscionable impact you," White said astatine the time. "This is affecting 16 different lives, their families, kids are going backmost to school. The database goes connected and connected of each the things, the wealth that was spent for fighters to bid and the database goes connected and on. Like I said, I don't deliberation this is going to marque Jon Jones fashionable with the fans, sponsors, cablegram distributors, tv web executives oregon different fighters."

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Aspinall vows to go the heavyweight GOAT aft Jones' retirement

Tom Aspinall speaks aft officially becoming the UFC heavyweight champion aft Jon Jones' retirement.

When asked connected Sunday astir whether Jones ducked Aspinall, White referred to UFC 151. "I've said it a cardinal times and I'll accidental it again: Jon Jones has ne'er ducked anybody different than that 1 goofy clip with the Chael Sonnen thing."

Other champions person stepped up connected abbreviated notice, including Islam Makhachev, who precocious defended his lightweight rubric connected a day's announcement against Renato Moicano astatine UFC 311, but Jones opted to look retired for himself. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. Jones would person been favored to triumph regardless, but helium couldn't beryllium successful power of the circumstances, and that's the cardinal to his decision-making.

Perhaps the astir absorbing illustration of Jones putting himself archetypal is however helium has expertly navigated the second fractional of his vocation and protected his presumption arsenic MMA's GOAT.

The beforehand fractional of Jones' vocation was astounding and filled with ascendant performances implicit Hall of Fame fighters Rua, Evans and Vitor Belfort. He besides finished 3 aboriginal HOFers successful Sonnen, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida. But implicit the past decade, helium has fought a specified 9 times due to the fact that of ineligible issues, suspensions and injuries.

Outside of 2 fights with bitter rival Daniel Cormier -- 1 of which was a knockout triumph astatine UFC 214 successful July 2014 that was overturned due to the fact that Jones tested affirmative for a banned substance -- the backmost fractional of Jones' UFC vocation doesn't comparison to the first.

Jones expertly avoided putting himself successful information of losing by warring truthful infrequently. To his credit, helium inactive won. But fans began questioning what would hap against a high-level hostile successful his prime. A megafight with Ngannou ne'er materialized successful portion due to the fact that Jones reportedly asked for "Deontay Wilder money" ($20-$30 million), and we person seen thing akin with Aspinall. Jones chirped done societal media and diminished the value of the fight.

It's not astir money, loyalty oregon pleasing anyone other for Jones. It's astir Jones doing what helium wants, erstwhile helium wants and however helium wants. And erstwhile helium grew bushed of the fans complaining and was perchance fixed a deadline to marque a determination to combat oregon springiness up the heavyweight belt, White said Jones called and retired.

If, oregon when, Jones decides to travel retired of status to combat Aspinall oregon idiosyncratic else, he'll beryllium successful the driver's spot of negotiating. After all, status is leverage successful MMA, and if there's 1 happening Jones loves, it's operating connected his terms.