Jon Jones Addresses Health, Reiterates Desire To Fight After Viral Clip

Jon Jones is opening up on his physical health after a conversation, intended to be private, went viral ... where the UFC legend said his hip was screwed up so bad that he needs a replacement.

"Looks like a private conversation I had at DBX 5 in Houston made its way out into the wild," Jones told TMZ Sports. "It happens. Like most fighters, we deal with injuries quietly sometimes and like in my case, for years. A lot of us walk around limping most days, paying the ultimate price for our health."

If you haven't seen it, the former two-time light heavyweight and heavyweight champ was at a combat sports event where he thought he was having a casual conversation with fellow MMA fighter Joaquin Buckley ... but it turns out someone was recording.

Jones was heard saying, "I have severe arthritis, and most people don't know that. My left hip is covered in arthritis. I actually already qualify for a hip replacement. My last training camp, dude, I went to bed in so much pain."

Jon is now clearing up any confusion or misinterpretation.

"If you’re wondering whether it’s true, it is. I’m grateful for all my battle scars, and if I could do it all over again, I absolutely would without hesitation. It's been what I wake up for in my career everyday."

He continued ... "Even after becoming one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport, my critics still give me grief about slowing down over the past few years. That’s called living to fight another day taking the lessons learned and applying them to business instead of the Octagon. It's called evolution."

So, what's next for Jon?

"The UFC knows the extent of my arthritis. They also know that if I were to put it all on the line one last time and endure that level of pain, the reward would have to be something special and something more than a fat payday. For me, that was and is still the White House."

Jones closed with this.

"Whether that fight happens or not, my career has been one for the ages and nothing short of legendary. I left a big part of myself in that Octagon, and I’m grateful for every bit of it. And don’t get it twisted, I’ll still kick 99% of your asses out there. Still putting up big numbers under the squat rack. Still training. Still outworking most of you ... just maybe after a proper warm-up and a good stretch."