Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones has spoken out following Dana White’s comments about the UFC’s proposed fight card at the White House.
Jones retired earlier this year, only to quickly unretire after White revealed plans for a historic July 4th event on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C. While White often praises Jones as the greatest fighter of all time, he made it clear at the UFC 319 post-fight press conference that the chances of Jones competing on that card are slim.
“Let me ask you, what do you think Jon would do in the next couple of months that would make me trust putting him on the White House card?” White said at UFC 318 post fight conference. “So I already said that I don’t trust him. And you’re asking me what could he do for me to trust him in the next three months? You don’t trust him! I don’t talk to him either. I haven’t talked to him at all. If I had to make odds, it’s a billion-to-one that I put Jon Jones on the White House card.”
Jones responded on X, expressing optimism about his potential involvement.
“Despite the odds, I’m still training and optimistic about the possibility of being part of the White House event,” Jones wrote. “At the end of the day, Dana is the boss and it’s his call whether I compete that night or not. I do know Dana was really excited about the fight, and the door hasn’t been completely closed. That’s all a guy like me really needs. It sounds like another awesome goal to be inspired by. Sometimes in life, we’re not going to reach everything we set out to do and that’s okay. But I like my chances… after all, one in a billion is exactly what it took to end up as Jon ‘Bones’ Jones in the first place.”
Jones’ recent heavyweight run has been brief but historic. He won the vacant title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023 and followed it up with a TKO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to defend the belt. However, the highly anticipated unification fight with Tom Aspinall never happened. After Jones retired in June, Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion and now prepares to defend his belt against Gane at UFC 321.
Jones, now 28-1 with one no contest, remains one of the most accomplished fighters in UFC history. While White insists his participation in the White House event is nearly impossible, Jones’ words show he is not ruling out another comeback.
