Dustin Poirier may have given Jon Jones a lesson in how to retire from MMA with his efforts at UFC 318.
After months of turmoil in the heavyweight division and debate over Jones refusing to fight Tom Aspinall in a unification fight, things were finally cleared up in an anticlimactic manner when Dana White announced Jones’ controversial retirement.
The news was delivered casually during White’s backstage press conference at the UFC Fight Night in Baku. Things could not have been more different when it came to Dustin Poirier’s retirement at UFC 318.
‘The Diamond’ revealed his decision to hang up his gloves months in advance, with the build-up to his career’s conclusion coming in his home state on Saturday night. Poirier was defeated by Max Holloway in their BMF showdown, but he was still able to put on one final war for his supporters.
And many of those fans did not miss an opportunity to remind Jones just how far short his farewell was of that emotional goodbye in New Orleans.
Jon Jones comes under fire after Dustin Poirier’s retirement outdoes his lackluster announcement
As he joined in the congratulatory reaction to Poirier’s final farewell at Saturday’s PPV, Jones once again found himself the target of many in the MMA community.
“Way better than your bs retirement,” one wrote in response to Jones sending a message to Poirier following the conclusion of the UFC 318 main event.
Others shared similar sentiments in the comment section.
“Dustin won’t come out of retirement like you.”
“Two weeks retirement?”
“Your turn now…We demand a retirement like (this) from you.”
“This is how legends retire, in case you didn’t know.”
Unsurprisingly, given how active he has been on social media when it comes to responding to his detractors in recent months, Jones quickly hit back.
“Why the negativity? My last fight I beat the greatest heavyweight of all time for a record-breaking 16 title wins. I did it in my home state at Madison Square Garden. And if that wasn’t my last time fighting, the next one will be at the White House at the biggest event in the history of our sport,” Jones wrote on X.
On Jon Jones’ latest White House claim, Dana White begs to differ
As Jones continues to mention his plan to come out of retirement to fight at the White House, he may want to watch Dana White’s press conference after UFC 318…
While ‘Bones’ has consistently spoken about headlining next year’s July 4 celebration as if it is a sure thing, White damaged Jones’ White House hopes by saying the controversial former two-division champ cannot be trusted with such a big moment.
“It’s not even about him winning the belt,” White explained. “You know how I felt about him. You know I can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong – especially the White House card.”
Jones has yet to respond to the UFC CEO’s comments, and it remains to be seen how that snub may affect his comeback plans.