Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on Jon Jones‘ latest comments regarding his UFC comeback. Sonnen voiced his skepticism about the legitimacy of Jones’ training. He doesn’t believe the former two-division champion is putting in the work he claims to be.
Jones initially retired and vacated his UFC heavyweight championship. This happened after negotiations stalled for a unification fight with Tom Aspinall. However, he changed course when Dana White confirmed plans for a UFC event at the White House.
Jones has now claimed he is training full time and preparing for a return. Sonnen, however, questioned the truth behind those statements and believes the narrative could be more about attention rather than preparation.
After Jones claimed he has been training regularly, Sonnen questioned whether if it was solely for publicity. The former UFC title challenger pointed out the lack of any training photos or social media updates. In his view, if ‘Bones’ were truly training, fans would see evidence online.
“Nothing has slipped out on Instagram. Nobody is claiming to work out with [Jones], no one’s claiming they saw [Jones] work out,” Sonnen said during the latest episode of ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy. “Most importantly, nobody’s saying that they’re the trainer.”
He continued:
“[Jones’] got a mythical trainer at the gym yet to be identified, working out with bodies who have never been named. I just think that’s a lot.”
Chael Sonnen Raises Questions about Jones’ Motivation
Sonnen also discussed a bigger issue related to Jones’ potential return. He believes the comeback may reinforce negative narratives around ‘Bones’ avoiding Aspinall.
Jones received criticism after retiring when he did. His critics noted that the UFC had met his financial demands to face Aspinall, so the timing was suspicious.
During ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy, Sonnen argued that returning now could worsen that perception. It might signal that Jones simply didn’t want to face Aspinall.
“If Jon says that he’s back and he was never injured, he was never ill, he just didn’t want to fight [Aspinall], that’s the part to me that’s a little bit weird,” Sonnen said. “He’s playing this as though that retirement never happened,”
He then questioned Jones’ reasoning for returning to the octagon.
“If you’re coming back, what are you coming back for? What is it you’re coming back to?” Sonnen asked. “And is it just an open slate to admit anything? ‘Anybody except that guy.’”
Jones Claimed He Was Training Full Time
Jones insists that he is serious and remains hopeful that he will be competing at the historic White House event. To prove his intent, ‘Bones’ re-entered the UFC’s testing pool.
In a recent conversation with Denise White, Jones clarified his status. He claimed that he is no longer retired and is back to training full time.
“I am not retired,” Jones said. “I’m actively training five days a week and I’m in the UFC’s drug testing pool.”
Jones admitted that he hasn’t received any update regarding the White House event. Although Dana White said he would be reluctant to book him, ‘Bones’ plans to be ready if called upon.
“I don’t really know [anything about the White House card], it’s kind of out my control right now. I’m training for the event, I’ll be ready for the event, that’s my goal. But ultimately, it’s up to the boss.”
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