Jon Jones' Next UFC Fight Expected To Be In Summer 2025, Dana White Says

A tentative timeline has been set for UFC heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones' return to the Octagon.

During an appearance Wednesday on ESPN's First Take (h/t MMAFighting.com's Damon Martin), UFC President Dana White responded, "This summer," after being asked when he expects Jones to fight next.

Jones, 37, last fought at UFC 309 in November when he beat Stipe Miocic by third-round technical knockout to retain the heavyweight title.

After dominating the light heavyweight division as a two-time champion, Jones made his long-awaited move to the heavyweight division in 2023.

Following Francis Ngannou's departure from UFC, Jones and Ciryl Gane clashed at UFC 285 in March 2023 for the vacant UFC world heavyweight title.

Jones made quick work of Gane, submitting him with a guillotine choke in the first round to add another major championship to his résumé.

While his first title defense was supposed to be against Miocic at UFC 295 in November 2023, Jones had to pull out of the fight due to a torn pectoral tendon.

Jones vs. Miocic finally became a reality one year later at UFC 309, and Jones delivered with a victory over the two-time UFC heavyweight champ, who was fighting for the first time since 2021.

With that win, Jones improved to 28-1 with one no contest in his illustrious career. His only loss came against Matt Hamill in 2009 via disqualification due to illegal elbows.

Although it isn't entirely clear yet who Jones' opponent will be this coming summer, Tom Aspinall stands out as the most obvious option.

During Jones' injury absence, Aspinall beat Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion, and he successfully defended the interim title against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 back in July.

A Jones vs. Aspinall unification bout would likely do big business for UFC, and it could represent one of the most significant challenges of Jones' legendary career.