Gable Steveson Feels Jon Jones Could Make A Return

Gable Steveson says now that Tom Aspinall has vacated his UFC heavyweight title due to ongoing issues with his vision, he thinks a return to the promotion for Jon Jones is possible.

After a lengthy negotiation process to defend his title against Aspinall, Jones decided to retire from the sport and relinquish his title to the interim champion in June 2025. With Aspinall then holding the undisputed title, he had his first defense of the belt that October, but suffered an eye injury early in the fight because of illegal strikes from Ciryl Gane, which ultimately led to the bout being declared a no contest.

Aspinall’s team recently claimed he was nearing the ability to train at full pace with the hopes of establishing a return timeline. But earlier this week it was revealed that the champion suffered a setback after getting hit during training and has decided to walk away from the title for now.

Steveson, who is set to square off with Sean Sharaf this Saturday at UFC 331, trains with Jones every day, and says the former two-division UFC champion could easily make a comeback. With Aspinall out of the picture, the expected move is for the UFC to position Ciryl Gane to fight for the undisputed championship, and many are speculating this may entice Jones, as he made quick work of Gane back in 2023.

“I think Jon would like to come back, also,” Steveson said. “Maybe seeing this belt open up put another fire into him. Jon’s my training partner everyday in Albuquerque, so I’ve seen what he can still do, and I know he can do it at the highest level, and maybe his time will come again, and I think it will.”