Jon Jones breaks silence after brutal White House UFC fight snub
Jon Jones is furious withDana White after the UFC boss REFUSED to let the American compete at next year's prestigious White House event.
Jones, who hung up his gloves last month, secured the heavyweight title in 2023 by submitting Ciryl Gane and defended it with a knockout win against Stipe Miocic in November. Despite being favoured to clash with Tom Aspinall this year, Jones did not commit to the bout.
Following his retirement, Aspinall was promoted from interim to undisputed champion. However, Jones has re-entered the testing pool spurred by Donald Trump's plans for a UFC event at the White House. While many fighters are eager to be part of this historic occasion, White has dealt a significant setback to the two-division champ.
At the UFC 318 post-fight press conference on Saturday night, White appeared to dash Jones' hopes of fighting at the landmark event. "I can't risk putting him (Jones) in big positions, in a big spot and have something go wrong," White explained, reports All Out Fighting. "Especially the White House card," he added.
After hearing White's remarks, Jones was swift to respond on the matter. A deflated 'Bones' acknowledges he will carry on training and remain prepared to compete next July against whichever opponent the fight promotion selects. In a message posted to X - previously Twitter - the 38-year-old wrote: "I heard the comments made at last night's press conference.
"While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next," Jones posted on X. In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a "why" that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose!
"The bright side in all this is knowing the fans recognise my commitment. They understand I am prepared and eager to face anyone, to represent my nation on a historic platform. For me, it's never been purely about the adversary. I'm pursuing legacy, something enduring, something greater than the present moment. So for now, I'll keep working, remain patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th."
Earlier this month, Trump unveiled his grand scheme to host a UFC event at the White House. Addressing his MAGA supporters, he queried, "And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight... Does anybody watch UFC and the great Dana White?" He doubled down on his plans, saying, "We're going to have a UFC fight. We're going to have a UFC fight," and envisioned the spectacle taking place "Think of this - on the grounds of the White House."
Trump further commented: "We have a lot of land there. We're going to build a little - we're not, Dana's going to do it, Dana's great, one of a kind - we're going to have a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20-25,000 people." While the UFC has yet to make an official statement regarding Trump's remarks, Dana White's repost of the clip with the president's announcement appears to endorse the idea.
When is Jon Jones' next fight?
The future of Jones stepping back into the octagon is currently up in the air. However, he seems eager to compete in the groundbreaking White House event slated for next July. Speaking to TMZ, the 38-year-old expressed his 'goal' to participate in the Washington card.
"We haven't had a conversation about it, but I have a very strong feeling that I'll be fighting that night, for sure," Jones revealed. The American also hinted at potentially hanging up his gloves post-event, though he left some room for speculation about his future. "I think it's gonna be one and done, but who knows what the future holds?"
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