UFC boss Dana White has poured cold water on the idea of Jon Jones headlining the rumoured UFC White House card next summer.
Just weeks after announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts (and relinquishing his heavyweight title in the process), Jon Jones confirmed ahead of last week’s ESPYs that he is considering ending his short-lived hiatus in order to participate in the mooted fight card to take place on the grounds of the White House next summer as part of the administration’s America 250 celebrations.
Jones’ apparent decision, which emphasised the point that combat sports retirements are often very temporary, wasn’t greeted with too much enthusiasm by White, who has on various occasions throughout the years been forced to take disciplinary action against the fighter for a variety of reasons — and speaking to the media, including The Mac Life, following last weekend’s UFC 318, White said that he has learned his lesson over placing too much responsibility on Jones’ shoulders.
“You know how I felt about him. I just can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House card,” White said.
Jones was central to the first time that the UFC has ever cancelled a card, after he refused to face Chael Sonnen on short notice all the way back at UFC 151 after original opponent Dan Henderson withdrew through injury. He has also had several run-ins with the UFC’s drug-testing authorities, in addition to a host of legal issues outside of the cage.
And as such, White said that he can’t make any commitment to Jones appearing on the card which expected to take place in July 2026.
“That fight’s a year away,” White continued. “So I’m not thinking about anything right now. The landscape will change so much by next 4th of July, who knows what’s going to happen. Who knows who’s going to be on the card. What the main event will be or who will hold all the titles. Everything could be completely different so it’s not even worth thinking about it right now.”
