Fans reached boiling point waiting for Jon Jones’ return to the octagon, deciding to start an online petition in hopes of getting the UFC heavyweight champion stripped of his title.
‘Bones’ officially became the second-longest reigning heavyweight champion in the company’s history last month, despite only making one defense of his gold. After beating Stipe Miocic in November last year, many expected the 37-year-old to retire, but he had other plans.
Instead of announcing his retirement, Jon Jones has skated around the thought of hanging up the gloves. Jones hasn’t committed to anything for months, putting his division on hold and leaving the rightful number one contender, Tom Aspinall, in limbo.
Fans have grown tired of Jones’ antics and started a petition to strip him of his title, which has collected over 60,000 signatures.Â
With uncertainty still clouding his future in the sport, Jon Jones had the perfect chance to clear some things up once he caught wind of the petition.
Instead, the New Mexico native decided to troll fans. The UFC Hall-of-Famer gave a five-word response to fans’ plea to strip him of his title.
“The equivalent to pico grams,” Jones joked on Instagram in response to the viral petition against him.
The joke from Jones references a controversial moment in his career. After several hiccups with USADA and problems outside the cage, the former light heavyweight kingpin tested positive for trace amounts (picograms) of a banned performance-enhancing substance.Â
Years after the incident, USADA changed its rules to state that levels under 100 picograms are no longer a violation, somewhat proving Jones’ innocence.
Related: UFC analyst thinks Jon Jones should be stripped of heavyweight title
With retirement staring him in the face, Jon Jones has not indicated when or if he plans to return to the octagon.Â
The champion has fought just once since capturing the heavyweight title in a one-sided outing against Ciryl Gane over two years ago.Â
Tom Aspinall has emerged as a serious threat to the throne, and fans believe Jones is ducking the contender in fear of losing his status in the sport, which has coincidentally damaged his legacy.
