Jon Jones has regrets about missing the UFC White House card, admitting that he wished he had been part of the historic event.
Jones, widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, had been flirting with retirement since his heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024. “Bones” stopped Miocic with a third-round TKO but never faced Tom Aspinall, who held the interim heavyweight title at the time.
Jones later retired before reversing course and pushing for a spot on the UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House. However, UFC CEO Dana White publicly questioned whether he could trust the former champion, and Jones ultimately missed out on the event.
During a conversation with The Schmo to promote the opening of Prince Street Pizza in Baton Rouge, Jones admitted that missing the historic card still bothers him.
“There was the White House card,” Jones said. “That was one of the few nights in my career where I just was thinking, ‘I should have been there.’ I usually don’t regret decisions, but that was one of my big regrets in life, not being a part of the White House. But if I never fight again, I think I’m pretty damn happy.”
Jones had campaigned for a spot on the card almost from the moment the UFC announced the event. He even attempted to make amends with the promotion after his retirement, hoping to secure a potential title unification fight against Aspinall.
However, the UFC ultimately left Jones off the lineup. Instead, the card featured an interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira in the co-main event.
Despite his disappointment, Jones believes his victory over Miocic gave him a fitting ending to his career. He also reflected on the personal significance of that night, which allowed him to share the moment with his family and express his faith.
“I really do believe that was my last moment inside the cage,” Jones told The Schmo. “And it was great. I got to fight — my brother was still alive at the time, my father was there. I got to tell the world that I love Jesus, and that will never change. I got to salute our President. I’m not huge into politics, but to have your President there, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, is massive. So honestly, I don’t think it gets much better than that.
“Stipe Miocic was considered the greatest heavyweight of all-time. You know, we’re both older, but to defeat him, I don’t really see how it can get bigger than that.”
For Jones, the only thing that might have topped that achievement was competing at the White House.
Although he has not completely ruled out a return to fighting, Jones suggested that his final appearance against Miocic may have been the end of his time inside the Octagon.
For now, the former two-division champion has shifted his attention to mentoring Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.
