Ariel Helwani reveals the 'full story' behind build-up to Jon Jones retirement and names the real UFC GOAT

Ariel Helwani has given his take on Jon Jones' decision to retire from the UFC after Dana White declared Tom Aspinall the new undisputed heavyweight champion.

Jones announced his retirement on Saturday night, just hours after UFC president White told reporters at UFC Baku that the 37-year-old had called him on Friday to confirm he was leaving the company.

For months, Jones played down a potential match-up against interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, despite White trying his utmost to make it happen.

But after the Manchester-born fighter was elevated to full champion, Aspinall made his feelings clear on social media. "It’s time to get this Heavyweight division going," he said. "An active Undisputed Champion."

Many people have had their say on Jones' decision to retire from the UFC, including MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, who made some rather telling comments shortly after White's announcement in Azerbaijan.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, he began: "The fact that the illustrious career of Jon Jones, the supposed greatest of all time, ends at a post-fight press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, is a joke. It is an absolute joke.

"I'm sorry, but this is an absolute joke. Tom Aspinall is going to Las Vegas. At the very least, present him the title. At the very least, do something to make it up to this guy who has been sitting there watching his career just waste away for the past seven months.

"Oh, by the way, his last fight was almost a year ago, 11 months. Do something. This is the way it happens? Something that could have happened at the post-fight press conference in New York."

Helwani would later reveal the so-called "full story" behind Jones' actions in the build-up to his retirement announcement.

"Jon Jones never wanted to take this fight," he added. "And anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling you the truth. As I've said time and again, Jon Jones asked for a lot of money. He asked for the number that everyone was talking about.

"He's asked for a lot of money. And as I said time and again, he deserved that money. He earned that money. After much negotiation, the UFC got him that money. Did they ask for help? That remains to be seen, but they got him the number.

"Jon Jones said he was in. And then a couple of days later, he said he was out. And ever since then, the UFC has been trying to convince him to come back, to take the fight, one last fight. And he said, no, he's doing the reality show. He's living his best life. He's doing seminars, all this stuff. He's tweeting away.

"And so they've known for quite some time, several months, that he was out. Dana White told us a couple of weeks ago, what did he say? Jon Jones agreed. But I told you, I told you all, he wasn't telling you the real story.

"He wasn't telling you the full story. The full story was he agreed and then he reneged. Dana White guaranteed this fight would happen. He guaranteed it would happen as recently as a couple of weeks ago. It was already not a thing.

"The way in which this has been handled has not been great. And the fact that Tom Aspinall, at the very least, couldn't get some sort of, oh, here's the belt, here's a ceremony, here's your fight, here's your date, is shameful.

"Now, ultimately, Tom doesn't care about any of this. He really doesn't."

Jones has been considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time for years, but Helwani proceeded to name Georges St-Pierre as the best to ever do it as he reeled off some of the Canadian's achievements.

"Yesterday, I spoke to GSP and I told GSP he did it the best," said Helwani.

"Again, compare what he did to what Jon Jones did. And this is one of many reasons why I consider GSP the greatest of all time. When GSP beat Johny Hendricks at UFC 167, he relinquished the belt that night. He didn't hold up anyone. He didn't stop anyone from living out their dreams.

"And in case you're wondering, that's a part of the fight game too. Time-honoured tradition, the train rolls along. He comes back four years later to fight Michael Bisping, gives up the belt, two, three weeks later, he's diagnosed with colitis.

"He beat Michael Bisping, who was the undisputed champion at the time. He didn't beat some interim champ or fight for a vacant title, and he didn't hold up the division. That's how you do it, not this.

"Jon Jones fought Ciryl Gane for a vacant title. He didn't even beat the real champ, who was Francis Ngannou. And then when he got hurt, he waited a full extra year to fight Stipe. The fight didn't make sense a year prior. He fought him a year later and it still didn't make sense.

"And then when it was time to fight the interim champion, he campaigned for Alex Pereira. And then when Alex Pereira lost, he campaigned for Francis Ngannou. This was never about not wanting to fight. This was a calculated business decision on Jon Jones' end to say, hey, I could walk away undefeated. I could walk away as the man.

"And so he is. He's walking away because he doesn't want to fight Tom Aspinall. Because if Francis Ngannou was there, or Alex Pereira was there, he'd be trying to fight those guys. He's made that very clear. He doesn't want to fight Tom Aspinall.

"Tom Aspinall could walk around now with his chest up, chin up, and say, I retired Jon Jones."

Jon Jones will go down as one of the UFC's greatest fighters. Image credit: Getty

Jon Jones announces retirement in emotional statement on social media

In the aftermath of Saturday night's UFC Baku event, White confirmed that Jones had called him on Friday to confirm his retirement from the company.

A few hours later and Jones confirmed his retirement in a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Today, I’m officially announcing my retirement from the UFC," he said. "This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years.

"From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to push the boundaries of what was possible in this sport. Becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, defending my title against some of the best fighters in the world, and sharing unforgettable moments with fans across the globe—these are memories I’ll cherish forever.

"I’ve faced incredible highs and some tough lows, but every challenge has taught me something valuable and made me stronger, both as a fighter and as a person."

Jones thanked the UFC and its fans for their "unwavering support" before mentioning his fellow fighters. "Thank you for bringing out the best in me and for the respect we’ve shared inside and outside the cage," he added.

"As I close this chapter of my life, I look forward to new opportunities and challenges ahead. MMA will always be a part of who I am, and I’m excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come."