Jon Jones just threw cold water on one of the biggest crossover fights boxing fans have dreamed up in years. The former UFC heavyweight champion made it clear he has no interest in trading pure boxing with Oleksandr Usyk, even as the Ukrainian great searches for a marquee opponent to close out his career.
The remarks come at a hot moment for both men. Usyk recently vacated his IBF, WBC, and WBA heavyweight belts to clear the runway for one final “last dance” bout on U.S. soil and his team has openly floated Jones as a candidate.
However, instead of jumping at a boxing payday, the 38-year-old countered with a very different pitch.
Jon Jones Breaks Down Why He Won’t Box Oleksandr Usyk
In late June, Usyk’s advisor Sergey Lapin told Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger that the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion is weighing Jones and former titleholder Deontay Wilder as options for his farewell fight later this year. The move came shortly after Usyk survived a scare against kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven, needing a controversial late stoppage to escape with the win.
Jones, for his part, hasn’t fought since successfully defending his Heavyweight Championship against Stipe Miocic in Nov. 2024 and announced his retirement from the UFC last June.
He’s since been in a public back-and-forth with the promotion over being left off the UFC’s White House card, even asking for his release to explore outside opportunities. That bad blood with the UFC is why a crossover fight with Usyk suddenly looks possible.
“Usyk is Usyk, man, he is one of the absolute GOATs of heavyweight boxing,” Jones said. “I also am aware that he does wrestling and that wrestling has been a heavy part of his training for many years, which is probably why he is so dominant in the clinch.”
Then he offered a blunt “no” while drawing a hard line at fighting under Marquess of Queensberry rules only.
“But to handicap myself by only using my hands is not the world that I come from,” Jones said. “So out of all the heavyweight boxers, I do see Usyk as having the highest potential of making it competitive, but I am no boxer. I don’t really consider Usyk to be a complete fighter.”
Jon Jones declines a boxing match with Oleksandr Usyk 👀😲
“I’m no boxer. I don’t really consider Usyk to be a complete fighter. I think the world knows what would happen if we were locked in the same room. The way I respect him in the ring, he should respect me in that… pic.twitter.com/xhLPdMDVOi
— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) July 17, 2026
He went further, suggesting the outcome would be lopsided without takedowns, clinch work and ground control in the mix. “I think the world knows what would happen if we were locked in the same room,” Jones added.
What’s Next for Oleksandr Usyk
This stance pretty much kills any chance of seeing them box, but it keeps the conversation about an MMA fight alive. Usyk is 25-0 as a boxer and isn’t going to step into a cage at this point in his career, so Jones’ counter-offer is just talk. Wilder is still the most realistic choice for Usyk’s actual retirement fight.
However, this MMA-versus-boxing standoff is nothing new for combat sports. The modern blueprint for these crossover fights was set in 2017 by the massive Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor boxing match.
That event proved that mixing the biggest stars from the UFC and boxing creates an unmatched financial draw, generating roughly 4.3 million pay-per-view buys. Ever since that historic night, fighters from both worlds have continually chased that same massive payday.
