Jon Jones Doubles Down on Intentions to Fight on Historic UFC White House Card
At the UFC Baku post-fight presser, Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones was finally hanging up his gloves after an illustrious career. This announcement came amid the long wait for Jones to unify the heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall, who held the interim gold since UFC 295.
However, 'Bones' didn't see the merit in fighting a young and hungry Englishman and announced his retirement a day after the UFC head honcho made it official.
However, it seems that Jones is once again eager to come back and resume his hunt to be the best. This change of heart has arisen due to
Donald Trump
's announcement of the UFC holding a card on the lawns of the White House on America's 250th birthday in 2026. Moreover, even White confirmed that the event will go down on 4th July next year.
Jon Jones Is Confident of Main Eventing the
UFC White House Card
Next Year
Just 13 days after announcing his retirement, Jones declared that he has re-entered the drug testing pool to appear on the historic card. And in a conversation with TMZ earlier this week, 'Bones' reaffirmed his intention of fighting for the pride of America.
'That's the goal. We haven't had a conversation about it, but I have a very strong feeling that I'll be fighting that night, for sure.' This isn't the first time this week that the former heavyweight champion has expressed his intention to return to the Octagon.
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Jon Jones Confident He'll Fight At Trump's White House UFC Event, 'Strong Feeling' | TMZ Sports
In a conversation with Joy of Everything's Joe Andaloro, Jones said that he would be ready to take on the reigning heavyweight king by the time the UFC White House card rolls around. He even teased a showdown with Aspinall if he held the strap at the time of the event.
And finally, Jones once again doubled down on returning at the ESPY's red carpet event. However, it seems that the UFC President is not keen on watching his crown jewel return to the cage.
Dana White Is Not on Board for Jon Jones to Return to the UFC White House Event
UFC 318 proved to be the final fight of Dustin Poirier's career. However, the post-fight presser saw the conversation shift to Jones fighting at UFC White House, slated to take place on 4th July 2026. When asked about the prospect of the former heavyweight champion appearing on the card, White said something surprising.
'It's not even about him winning the belt. You know how I felt about him. You know I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong – especially the White House card."
This hesitancy stems from the fact that Jones was responsible for ruining perhaps the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history when he didn't fight Aspinall. Moreover, he has a history of pulling out of major cards like the UFC 200 showdown with Daniel Cormier just days before the event. White is currently focused on discussing the logistics and arrangements for the card rather than the actual fights on it.
Also read:
UFC 318 Main Match Card Highlights and Results: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov and More
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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