Dana White puts faith in McGregor over Jon Jones for UFC White House Event. UFC President Dana White has made it clear who he trusts to deliver when the promotion heads to the White House in 2026 and it’s not Jon Jones.
Earlier this year, UFC President Dana White joined U.S. President Donald Trump in announcing that the promotion will stage a landmark event next summer on the White House lawn to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Though still nearly a year away, the card is already being billed as one of the biggest in UFC history, with top fighters eager to be part of it. Chief among those who wish to do so are the two biggest fighters in the sport right now, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.
Following the UFC White House announcement, both Conor McGregor and Jon Jones expressed interest in being part of the historic event, with Jones even coming out of his brief retirement. However, Dana White was quick to shut down the idea, making it clear that he doesn’t trust Jones to headline such a high-profile card and he hasn’t changed his stance since. “He’s not the guy that when crap hits the fan, he’s not the guy like, ‘Whatever, I’ll fight whoever,’” White told Jim Rome on Thursday. “He’s one of the guys I put on the list who has had some not-so-bright people around him that made decisions for him, and he listened to them at that time in his career. Fight fell out, the only fight we’ve ever canceled in the history of the company.”
Despite Jones’ status as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, White pointed to a history of complications that make him hesitant to put Jones in such a high-profile spotlight. Over the years, Jones has dealt with a string of fight cancellations, failed drug tests, legal issues, and lengthy absences from competition. White said those recurring problems are too risky for a card of such symbolic importance. “I can’t risk putting him in big positions like that anymore,” he added.
Jones infamously failed a drug test ahead of UFC 200, forcing him out of his planned rematch with Daniel Cormier just days before the event. Just two years later, the promotion then had to relocate UFC 232 on short notice to California after an issue with a Jones drug test in Las Vegas. And most famously, Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen on a week’s notice at UFC 151 after Dan Henderson withdrew from the fight, causing the UFC to cancel the entire event.
At one point these incidents had White say Jones would never headline an event again, though that ultimately proved not to be true. But for an event on par with UFC White House, White isn’t ready to take that chance. “I’m never worried about Jones not being clean for performance-enhancing drugs. I’m not worried about that,” White said. “My thing about Jon Jones is, in the crunch time — bad things always happen leading up to fights, and all this stuff, can I count on Jon Jones? That’s my thing. …
“I back that up with, I do believe he’s the greatest of all-time. And when you deal with the greats like him … it’s almost like these guys are artists, of a sort. And any time you deal with artists, nutty stuff happens. It’s part of the business. But I like consistency. I like guys who — who do you want to be in a foxhole with? Those are my kind of guys.”
On the other hand, McGregor has consistently shown up for big occasions. The Irish star, known for record-breaking pay-per-views, has been more dependable in White’s eyes. Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021, and he even pulled out of a planned comeback last summer after a toe injury. Still, Dana White says he trusts McGregor to headline UFC White House, pointing to their history together — as long as McGregor is genuinely interested in fighting.
“Yeah. We’ll see how this thing plays out,” White said. “I’ll start making this card in February. So if it all plays out that way, Conor can be on that card. “It’s not my love of Conor. It’s my respect of Conor. … Here’s the thing about Conor: I know more than everybody else knows, a lot of people talk smack publicly. I’ve been behind the scenes when this guy’s opponent fell out for this big fight, it messes fighters up. Then their team gets involved and they start trying to strategically — I’ve seen the most horrible stuff happen behind the scenes. Jon Jones, Holly Holm, and I could go on and on forever, where they have a team that surrounds them that makes incredibly horrible decisions for them.
“Conor McGregor, he wakes up, comes downstairs into the kitchen and finds out what happens, he says, ‘I’m going to the gym. Call me later and let me know who I’m fighting.’ Almost nobody does that. I’ve seen the real stuff that goes on behind the scenes with Conor. Everybody can put whatever they want, ‘Oh, he loves Conor! Conor makes him money!’ All this other stupid crap I hear. … Conor McGregor has been that guy throughout his entire career.”
