Jon Jones has voiced frustration with Dana White after the UFC boss publicly denied that the former heavyweight champion was ever considered for the upcoming Freedom 250 event.
The controversy erupted during the broadcast of UFC 326, where the promotion unveiled the full card for the highly anticipated White House show. The event will feature an undisputed lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje in the main event.
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira will face Ciryl Gane in an interim heavyweight title fight in the co-main event.
However, many fans quickly noticed that Jones was missing from the lineup. That led to questions during the post-fight press conference, where Dana White insisted the former champion was never in the plans for the historic card.
Shortly after Dana White’s remarks, Jones took to social media to respond in a series of posts that were later deleted. The former two-division champion did not hide his frustration over the situation.
“So all of this negotiating was complete bullsht, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?” Jones wrote. “Man, how fcking painful. Laying in my bed, wrapping my head around this perception.”
Jones has recently pushed for a spot on the White House card after briefly stepping away from the sport, but Dana White maintained that the UFC never seriously considered booking him for the event.
White also claimed that he had already informed Jones’ legal team that a fight at Freedom 250 was never going to happen.
“The Jon Jones thing is bullsh*t,” Dana White said. “I’m not saying they weren’t talking to Jon Jones and that Jon Jones wasn’t interested in the fight. What was even crazier was Jon Jones came out and said, ‘I’m in negotiations right now for the White House card,’ after I had already sent a text to his lawyer saying, ‘Never going to happen ever.’”
Following the event announcement, Dana White once again addressed the situation and stood firmly by his earlier comments. The UFC president clarified that while matchmakers often speak with multiple fighters, that does not mean a fight was ever seriously planned.
“I never said that there were no negotiations,” Dana White explained. “I said, ‘Were they talking to Jon Jones? They talk to everybody.’ Everybody was talked to, but not one word of what I said about the Jon Jones situation was untrue.”
The situation marks a surprising turn in the once-strong relationship between Jones and Dana White. For years, White openly praised Jones as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.
With tensions now rising publicly, the fallout between Jon Jones and Dana White has become one of the biggest talking points following the UFC’s historic White House event announcement.
