Jon
Jones' protégé, Gable
Steveson, believes the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship double champ could return to
action.

Jones retired last year as the heavyweight champion after
repeatedly stalling on a title unification bout with then-interim
champ Tom
Aspinall. Aspinall was then promoted to undisputed status after
Jones' retirement. However, the Englishman recently vacated the
belt, which Steveson believes could pave the way for Jones' Octagon
return.

Gable Steveson believes the open UFC heavyweight title picture
could tempt Jon Jones out of retirement

Aspinall put his title on the line against Ciryl Gane
last October. The fight ended in an anticlimactic no-contest after
a double-eye poke by Gane in the first round left Aspinall unable
to continue. Aspinall has since been inactive as he recovers from
multiple eye surgeries. He recently vacated the heavyweight title
of his own accord.

Amid rumors linking unbeaten Josh Hokit
to fighting Gane for the undisputed title, Steveson believes Jones
could be lured to return to action by the heavyweight title picture
opening up. Being Jones' regular training partner, Steveson is
confident that “Bones†can still handle himself against the best
heavyweights.

“I have heard rumbles of [Gane vs.] Josh Hokit,†Steveson told RMC
Sport Combat. “That would be a fantastic fight. Josh is another
fast guy that can keep up with the pace of Gane… I think Jon would
like to come back also. Maybe seeing the belt opens up puts another
fire in him. Jon's my training partner every day in Albuquerque.
So, I have seen what he can still do. I know he can do it at the
highest level. Maybe his time will come again and I think it
will.â€

While Jones retired last year, he is still on the UFC roster and
has been drug-tested thrice in 2026, leaving the window open for a
return. Meanwhile, Steveson is scheduled to take on Sean Sharaf
at UFC
331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

🇺🇸 Gable
Steveson (4-0), partenaire d’entraînement de Jon Jones,
donne son avis sur Ciryl Gane
!

👀 Il parle aussi d’un potentiel retour du GOAT…

📺 L’UFC 331, c’est à suivre sur RMC Sport 1 dans la nuit de samedi
à dimanche. pic.twitter.com/a6BJkUtxqW

— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat)
September 15, 2026

Gilbert
Burns believes Khamzat
Chimaev can become a double champion if he follows one crucial
bit of advice.

Burns gave Chimaev one of the toughest tests of his career when
they collided in 2022 in an
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight bout. They are now
scheduled to meet in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 13 on Sept.
18 at Watsco Center in Miami. The Brazilian recently revealed what
he believes is holding Chimaev back in his UFC career.

Gilbert Burns wants Khamzat Chimaev to find a stable team after
losing the UFC middleweight title

Chimaev (15-1) is coming off his first professional defeat, losing
his middleweight title to Sean
Strickland (31-7). Burns believes “Borz†will come back hungry
and strong. However, “Durinho†doesn't think Chimaev benefits from
changing coaches and camps frequently.

Chimaev previously trained out of
Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden. Burns believes
the Chechen was doing better under head coach Andreas Michael at
the renowned gym and claims he can still bounce back and become a
multi-division UFC champ if he settles down with a good team and
has a constant head coach.

“I think he is gonna be very hungry,†Burns told Red Corner MMA.
“He is still young; he is still fresh. The only thing that I can
watch from the outside and say is I don't like when he's changing
camps, changing coaches too much. When he fought me, he had that
solid general. The guy he was with in Sweden. He was doing a great
job… When the team was kind of small. I think he was doing better.
So that's my personal opinion. But I still think he's gonna bounce
back. He just needs a solid team. Guys that are not yes-men. Guys
that are gonna tell him what he has to do. With a solid team, he
can come back and become a champion, maybe two, maybe
three-division champion.â€

While Chimaev still has his longtime jiu-jitsu coach Alan “Finfouâ€
Nascimento in his corner, the former champ has frequently switched
up his training environment and is now based out of the United Arab
Emirates.

Gilbert
Burns believes Khamzat
Chimaev can bounce back from his lone UFC loss to Sean
Strickland and become a champion again, potentially across two
or three weight classes. However, Burns believes Chimaev needs a
solid team around him and more stability with his coaches.

“The… pic.twitter.com/hpRKenTy0f

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
September 17, 2026

Ray Lewis could be the latest prominent crossover athlete to grace
the Real American Freestyle mat.

RAF co-founders Chad Bronstein and Izzy Martinez recently revealed
that discussions are underway for the Hall of Famer to compete for
the promotion before the end of 2026.

Ray Lewis is in discussions to compete for Real American
Freestyle before the end of 2026

Lewis, who has a legitimate background in wrestling, may soon make
his debut in RAF, as there are ongoing discussions between the
former professional football linebacker and the wrestling
promotion. Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder
Tyron
Woodley, who has competed twice for RAF, is helping facilitate
the crossover.

He was a state wrestling champion in high school and has credited
the sport for aiding his National Football League career.

According to MMA Fighting, a deal hasn't been finalized, but
the two sides are moving in a positive direction.