UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has told fans to move on from the idea of him fighting Jon Jones at next year’s UFC White House event.
For the longest time, Tom Aspinall was actively asking for the opportunity to face Jon Jones for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship. Unfortunately, ‘Bones’ never seemed particularly interested in that idea, and he eventually made the decision to retire from mixed martial arts altogether.
Alas, it didn’t take long for him to start suggesting that he will, in fact, make his way back into the cage one day. Many rolled their eyes at this, noting that it was only the UFC White House card that led to him suggesting a comeback. Tom Aspinall, meanwhile, still isn’t buying it.
In a recent interview, Tom Aspinall almost seemed exhausted at even having to discuss Jon.
Tom Aspinall isn’t interested in a fight against Jon Jones at the White House 😬
“Not interested mate. And the world shouldn’t be interested either, because what’s the point. Just false hope.”
Tom Aspinall issues warning to fans over Jon Jones’ possible return
“Do you want me to be honest? It has spent zero seconds in my mind. [I’m] not interested mate, and the world shouldn’t be interested either. What’s the point? [It’s] just false hope.”
Aspinall is currently preparing to defend his title against Ciryl Gane later this year. If he’s able to win that, and do so convincingly, he could really set himself up for some special things to come in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Either way, it feels like the ship has sailed for Jon Jones, especially given that even Dana White is hesitant to trust him with another main event spot.
UFC legend Jon Jones has reacted to Khamzat Chimaev calling him the scariest guy in mixed martial arts.
While he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there’s simply no denying the impact that Jon Jones has had on the sport of mixed martial arts. He has been able to achieve some wonderful things throughout the course of his career and while he may have broken his retirement pretty quickly, his overall legacy will certainly highlight the unbelievable run he enjoyed at light heavyweight.
Nowadays, Jon Jones is toying with the idea of making a second heavyweight run, even though he’s now surrendered his title to Tom Aspinall. Another man who is currently chasing UFC gold is Khamzat Chimaev, who will be challenging Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 319 on Saturday night.
In a clip that’s circulating, Jon Jones has given his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev praising him.
Jon Jones reacts to Khamzat @KChimaev calling him the scariest MMA fighter. “It tells me a lot about his character, his humility, to be able to compliment someone in such a huge way. So I’m very grateful and honoured,” @JonnyBones told Red Corner MMA. pic.twitter.com/f6rs0LBfBh
“That’s a huge compliment coming from Khamzat. I’m a big fan of Khamzat. I don’t think he has any reason to toot my horn or to even be humble. He doesn’t have to be. I mean, heavyweights fear him. The fact he has so much respect for me really means a lot, it shows me a lot about his character and his humility to be able to compliment someone in such a huge way.”
“I wanna see them both [DDP and Chimaev] go on and have long, prosperous MMA careers. I will watch the fight for sure.”
Turns out, the retirement of Jon Jones was a two-week one after all.
A new update to the UFC’s Anti-Doping website shows that Jones’ name has been returned. This means Jones has recently been tested, which would mark his third testing session for 2025.
Jon Jones Returns To UFC Anti-Doping Website With New Testing Sample
Jones has been in a year-plus-long saga with the UFC and current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Jones, the former champion, has not fought since UFC 309, which saw him retain against Stipe Miocic. That fight had been scheduled for UFC 295 until Jones tore his pec.
The UFC elected to not strip Jones and instead make an interim heavyweight title while being persistent in holding Jones vs. Miocic. Aspinall won the interim title at UFC 295 and then retained it at UFC 304.
A drawn-out negotiations process saw UFC CEO and President Dana White believing a Jones-Aspinall showdown was close to official. Jones; however, elected to retire in mid-June, feeling he had accomplished everything he could in MMA. Conveniently, this came around the same time new charges against Jones were filed for an incident involving a car accident that took place in New Mexico this past February.
Aspinall was named champion at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference. He is scheduled to make his first undisputed title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
In addition to Jones, Conor McGregor has expressed interest in ending his active hiatus to compete on the card. Like Jones, McGregor returned to the testing pool last week.
Merab Dvalishvili is not just the bantamweight GOAT of MMA in the eyes of many, but some think he can get the jump on the man many see as the overall MMA GOAT, pound for pound. Appearing on Bowks Talking Bouts prior to his recent Rizin flyweight grand prix bid, Jose Torres touched on some of his past training experiences with the Georgian standout. When responding to the talk from some that the UFC bantamweight champion is the greatest bantamweight in MMA history, Torres said,
“He’s a great fighter, but he’s not super tough on the ground until he becomes tough, if that makes any sense. Like when it comes to technique, that’s where he lacks, but he pushes so much with his heart and just his conditioning that he will break you. Your best bet against Merab, and I guess even against myself and this is me saying this against Merab too, your best bet is to beat him in the first or second round. Because after the second half of the second round, that’s it. There’s no way you’re going to be able to keep up the pace.”
“Merab is; again, they call him ‘The Machine’, ‘Robocop’, all these different nicknames because his gas tank is relentless. He’s not technically the best fighter, but because of how hard he pushes, especially with that fight style conditioning, that adrenaline that comes on fight day, all that stuff, it’s no match. I think Umar Nurmagomedov easily is the better fighter, but the guy who obviously shows up on fight day in Merab is easily the champion, if that makes any sense.”
Merab Dvalishvili’s weaponized pace and how he could best Jon Jones
When getting more into the machinations of the machine that is Merab Dvalishvili, Torres continued,
“Technically, Sean O’Malley should have been able to win every fight against Merab, but Merab just doesn’t stop. Again, that [Alexandre] Pantoja-style where they’re kind of sloppy, they push forward. But Merab has that gas tank where you’re just like dude, you’re not gonna slow down at all? Like nothing whatsoever? … He’s that guy that just walks forward. He will beat any technical athlete… He could fight Jon Jones, he would beat him in the third or fifth, whatever final round of the fight. Like that’s Merab’s gas tank [laughs].”
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has questioned what kind of legacy Jon Jones will leave behind in the world of mixed martial arts.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most respected MMA fighters of all time. He accomplished some truly incredible things throughout the course of his career, including going 29-0, becoming UFC lightweight champion, and generally being viewed as one of the most dominant fighters to ever walk through the doors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has been retired for five years now and a lot of people still put him in the conversation of greatest of all time. Of course, someone else who features pretty prominently in that is none other than Jon Jones.
In a recent podcast appearance, Khabib Nurmagomedov gave his thoughts on the legacy of Jon Jones now that he’s walked away from the sport.
🚨 Khabib says you cannot compare his legacy with Jon Jones and explains why achievements and legacy are different:
“Legacy and achievement are two different things, a lot of people confuse those two concepts.”
“Legacy and achievement are two different things, a lot of people confuse those two concepts.”
“What is legacy? Legacy is when kids look at you and feel inspired by you.”
“As a fighter, he’s the best. As a person, in terms of inspiration, character, when it comes to personal qualities, there will always be questions.”
“As an athlete, he reached greatness. He has no equal but there will always be questions about doping, whether he was caught or not, and yes, he was caught. That’s a fact.”
Who knows, maybe ‘Bones’ will decided to try and climb the mountain once again. We’ll have to wait and see.
Former boxing champion Amir Khan doesn’t think that Jon Jones should make a run in the boxing ring.
As we know, Jon Jones is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. While that may be a hard pill for a lot of his critics to swallow, it’s the truth. We all know about his many controversies outside of the cage but in it, ‘Bones’ was able to build something special – with the majority of his work coming at light heavyweight.
After retiring from the sport, many have wondered what could be next for Jon Jones. It seems as if he’s interested in a UFC White House fight next summer, but Dana White seemingly doesn’t quite trust him enough to put him on that card – for now, anyway. There’s always a chance he could venture into boxing, but again, there’s a lot of unpredictability there.
In a recent interview courtesy of Genting live casinos, the aforementioned Amir Khan gave his thoughts on Jon Jones possibly testing the waters in the boxing realm.
Amir Khan warns Jon Jones against boxing
“There’s no one touching him, honestly, one of the best, and put him in a room with anyone. He’s knocking them out. He’s cleaning him out. He’s very dangerous.
“He’s one guy you don’t want to meet in a backstreet, no matter who you are, even if it’s like a Mike Tyson, but he’s not going to be the same animal in the boxing ring.
“He’s gonna make himself stupid. I don’t think he ever needs to do that, because he’s only going to mess his own legacy up.”
After almost exactly a year away since his last fight, Tom Aspinall apparently has signed a contract for his next fight — his first as defending UFC heavyweight champion.
Following the long, dragged-on saga involving him, the UFC, and Jon Jones, Aspinall told Stefan Struve with UFC Eurosport that he has signed a contract to solidify his first defense since being elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
“I’ve just been doing what I’m told by the UFC, which is stay ready,” Aspinall said. “I’ve stayed ready for a year now. So, it’s been a little weird situation, but that’s done. We now have a fight. We can move forward with that, finally. I’m really happy about it.”
No details on an opponent or date and venue were revealed. It should be noted that Aspinall has beaten most of the top 10-ranked heavyweights in one round; however, he has never faced No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane, who has been an interim heavyweight champion but has come up short in challenges of Francis Ngannou and Jones.
Tom Aspinall To Make First Defense Of UFC Heavyweight Title, Details Still To Be Announced
This news also comes on the heels of an ever-going drama between Jones, Aspinall, and the UFC.
After his win over Gane, Jones defended the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic 20 months later at UFC 309. Jones and Miocic were originally booked for UFC 295; however, Jones ended up tearing his pec, and the UFC — driven to have Jones vs. Miocic — elected to postpone the fight.
Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC 295 and retained the interim gold against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 309.
Jones and Aspinall’s teams had been in negotiations with the UFC for quite some time. The story goes that while the fight was nearly official last month, Jones decided to retire, citing feeling that he’s accomplished everything he has needed to in the sport.
Jon Jones isn’t exactly pleased with Dana White’s dismissal of his UFC White House return plans.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to celebrate America’s 250th Independence Day with a major UFC event on the White House lawn in July 2026.
The news quickly caught the attention of Jones, who had retired just weeks earlier. The former two-division UFC champion announced his plans to make a comeback and revealed he had re-entered the promotion’s drug testing pool, intent on competing on the historic card.
Image: @jonnybones/Instagram
However, during the UFC 318 post-fight press conference on Saturday, White was asked if he would consider “Bones” for the proposed White House event. The UFC CEO promptly shut down the idea, citing Jon Jones’ troubled past as the reason he couldn’t be trusted to headline such a high-profile occasion.
“It’s not even about him winning the belt,” White said. “You know how I felt about him. I just can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House card.”
Dana White on Jon Jones potentially headlining the UFC White House card:
“I can’t risk putting him in big positions and have something go wrong. Especially the White House card.” 😬
Jon Jones Reacts After Dana White Rules Him Out Of UFC White House Event
In the wake of Dana White’s decision to dismiss the possibility of his return for the proposed UFC White House event, Jon Jones took to social media on Sunday to respond.
“Bones” voiced his disappointment in the UFC CEO’s doubts about his dependability, but affirmed that he’s continuing to train and preparing for any opportunity that comes his way.
“I heard the comments made at last night’s press conference,” Jones Jones wrote on X. “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.
“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 silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it’s never been just about the opponent. I’m chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment.
“So for now, I’ll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I’m ready to fight on July 4th.”
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.
Jon Jones last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 309 in November 2024, where he successfully defended his heavyweight title for the first time with a third-round knockout of former champion Stipe Miocic.
“Bones” was locked in a heated rivalry with Tom Aspinall, with fans eagerly calling for a title unification bout. However, the matchup never materialized, as Jones repeatedly questioned Aspinall’s legitimacy as a worthy challenger.
Former UFC fighter Jon Jones has explained why he is actively considering a return to competitive mixed martial arts, just weeks after announcing his retirement.
Right now, Tom Aspinall is the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He has that title because Jon Jones, the former champion, opted not to fight him, and instead decided to quietly retire. However, after the announcement that the UFC will be putting on an event at the White House next year, ‘Bones’ seems to have changed his stance – to the point where he is now openly thinking about a return to the cage.
Whether or not that comes to fruition, of course, remains to be seen. Jon Jones is easily one of the greatest fighters we’ve ever seen in MMA but even with that being the case, it’ll probably take some convincing for the UFC to trust him again. After all, he seemed to string them along for quite some time, and it was never really clear why he didn’t want to take on Aspinall in the first place.
In a recent interview, Jon Jones discussed the possibility of coming back and made it crystal clear that it’s on the table.
Jon Jones explains potential comeback
“I was retired. I felt like I was at a place where I’d done it all in the MMA space, and felt like there weren’t too many more challenges for me. I just wanted to do something more than championships and money.”
“Donald Trump mentioned that he wanted to have a fight at the White House garden, and that seems like such a huge opportunity. I’m a very proud American, I have a lot of close friends who are in the military. This is my act of, I can’t call it service, but to be able to entertain the country and the world at this level at the White House, it just means the world to me. So, I’m back.”
UFC legend Jon Jones has claimed that he’d be interested in ending his mixed martial arts retirement in order to compete on the recently announced UFC White House card.
As we know, Jon Jones is a pretty controversial figure in this sport – and that’s us putting it lightly. He has had a series of personal and professional setbacks throughout the course of his career, many of which have harmed the public’s opinion of him. The most recent was him seemingly ducking a fight with Tom Aspinall, who is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
However, after the White House card was announced, things seemed to change for Jon Jones. He appeared to like the idea of being part of such an iconic event, and made it clear that he would be willing to come back.
In a recent interview, Jon Jones doubled down on that, suggesting that he’ll be coming after the UFC heavyweight championship once again.
Jon Jones is down to fight Tom Aspinall at the UFC White House event if he’s still the champion next year 👀🔥
“I have a very strong feeling I’ll be on that card.”
Jon Jones considers Tom Aspinall fight at White House
“I can’t promise anyone anything, but I have a very strong feeling that I’ll be on that card. It’s gonna be historic.”
“I would wanna take one whoever’s holding the belt at the end of the year.
“Well you know, as of right now, the champion is Tom Aspinall. But we’ll see who’s the champion at the end of the year. It’d be only fitting to have an American guy fight for the championship that night. I’d be willing to put it all on the line one more time.”
The saga of Jon Jones’ retirement and unretirement decision has been one that stretched back to when it was debated if he’d retire after facing Stipe Miocic — and it’s ongoing in the wake of his decision to unretire just two weeks after doing so and giving up the UFC heavyweight championship.
And now, Jones has publicly given an explanation for his decision to both retire and unretire quickly.
Jones was present at ESPN’s ESPY Awards show on July 16 and appeared on the red carpet. It was at the event’s Red Carpet show where Jones gave an interview, allowing him to give insight on his decision.
“I felt like I was at a place where I’ve done it all in the MMA space and felt like there wasn’t too many more challenges for me,” Jones told ESPN. “I just wanted to do something more than championships and money — and Donald Trump mentioned that he wanted to have a fight at the White House Garden, and that just seems like such a huge opportunity.”
Jon Jones Confirms His Intention To Compete On UFC White House Card
Following Trump’s announcement of a UFC White House card, UFC officials would confirm the plan was being explored. In the days since, UFC CEO and President Dana White has confirmed such plans are in motion. White has promised to bring the “baddest” and most anticipated UFC pay-per-view card ever next July 4.
While logistics for the event still have to be worked out, White has mentioned that he sees a long-overdue fight between Jones and Aspinall as a “dream main event” for the card.
Conor McGregor has also thrown his name in the hat for the White House UFC event, and White has stated he would get both a Jones fight and McGregor fight on this kind of card.
“I’m a very proud American,” Jones said. “I have a lot of close friends that are in the military, and this is my act of — I can’t call it service — but just to be able to entertain the country and the world at this level at the White House. It just means the world to me. So I’m back.”
Jones became UFC heavyweight champion at UFC 285 by defeating Ciryl Gane for the then-vacant title, and he retained the championship against Miocic at UFC 309. Jones and Miocic were scheduled to face off originally at UFC 295 before Jones suffered a torn pec. Instead, Aspinall won the interim heavyweight title at that event — and then retained the interim gold against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304.
Negotiations between Jones and Aspinall had been ongoing and seemed to be near completion until Jones’ retirement announcement. Aspinall was then named the new UFC heavyweight champion at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference last month.
Former UFC fighter Jon Jones continues to tease the idea of a comeback, just a few weeks after announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts.
One thing we’ve come to learn is that you should expect the unexpected with Jon Jones. He likes to keep the mixed martial arts world on its toes, and he doesn’t really care how he does it. For the longest time he was stringing Tom Aspinall along, not fighting him for the undisputed championship. Then, he retired, and it’s safe to say that a lot of people weren’t happy about that decision.
For Jon Jones, trolling fans and critics alike is just what he does. He flip flops between one thought process and the other, and after it was announced that the UFC plans on taking an event to the White House, things have only ramped up even further.
In a recent series of tweets, Jon Jones made it pretty clear that this is a venture he’s interested in pursuing – and you’d have to imagine he’ll be coming back to fight Tom Aspinall.
Donald made his announcement on the morning of the Fourth of July, I called the UFC headquarters that very same afternoon. I’ll just leave it at that. America! Now that tickles my pickle. https://t.co/wDydycPNic
It would be, for me it’s about the opportunity to represent America at the White House. I don’t care who I fight that night. I found my reason why, that’s what I needed, something that was more than money https://t.co/jdVDVyYakw
“Donald made his announcement on the morning of the Fourth of July, I called the UFC headquarters that very same afternoon. I’ll just leave it at that. America! Now that tickles my pickle.”
“It would be, for me it’s about the opportunity to represent America at the White House. I don’t care who I fight that night. I found my reason why, that’s what I needed, something that was more than money.”
“Who knows what the future holds, but the moment I heard Donald Trump‘s announcement, I started training again.”
The February car accident that saw Jon Jones hit with charges on the same day he announced his MMA retirement has now had added charges for Jones onto it.
Per MMA Fighting, the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion is now another case from the incident, filed on June 30. This criminal complaint has a duplicate charge of leaving the scene of an accident; however, it also now adds a charge for “Use of Telephone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend.”
Jones is facing accusations of leaving the scene of a car accident that took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 21. A woman in the vehicle who was seen “exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down” claimed Jones was the driver of the vehicle she was in; however, he had “subsequently fled the scene on foot.”
When a police aide communicated on the telephone with Jones — using the woman’s phone after she called him — Jones notably “appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties.”
After backup was requested, Officer Andrew Romero spoke with Jones, noting that similar “allusions to violence” were made when trying to communicate with Jones, with Jones reportedly evading questions trying to confirm his identity. Jones later told police that the person on the other end of the call he received had “immediately opened the conversation with unprofessional language,” making Jones question the legitimacy of the person’s status as a police offer.
Jon Jones Facing Another Criminal Complaint Stemming From February Car Accident
MMA Fighting notes that Jones’ call records were subpoenaed by police, who found that Jones called the woman involved in the accident 13 times between 2:17 a.m. and 11:34 a.m. the next morning. Police also noted a gap in Jones’ location from 11:51 p.m. to 2:11 a.m., when the accident took place.
Jones’ attorney, Christopher Dodd, released a statement to Uncrowned on June 23, claiming that “In the thousands of cases I have handled in my career, I have never seen a case as strange and unwarranted as this one.”
“Jon was not driving that night; he wasn’t in the car,” the statement read. “It appears that an intoxicated woman used a false allegation against Jon to avoid being arrested for DWI, and the police fell for it.
“It is truly unbelievable that the police would waste this amount of resources on such a case. The only thing I can think of is that the police were targeting Jon for improper purposes. We will get to the bottom of it and make sure that this baseless case is dismissed.”
When the idea of a UFC event at the White House was first announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, and later confirmed by UFC officials to media, fighters scrambled to get their name into the hat of potentially competing at such an event.
One of those fighters was Jon Jones, who two weeks earlier had just announced his retirement from the sport of MMA, relinquishing the UFC heavyweight title in the process. This brought about an unclimactic ending to the long standoff of negotiations between he and then-interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who was promoted to undisputed champion immediately as Jones’ retirement was announced by UFC CEO and President Dana White.
Now, during his recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, White confirmed that despite the retirement announcement, Jones is already back.
“He jumped back in the pool,” White confirmed.
Dana White Says Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Would Be ‘Dream’ White House Main Event, Suggests Jones And Conor McGregor Could Both Fight On Card
Jones vs. Aspinall is one of the fresher matchups available for heavyweight — a UFC division most fans and pundits have widely agreed is one of the weakest, if not the weakest, in the promotion. And while Aspinall vs. Gane is also a fresh matchup, most of the other ranked contenders Aspinall has taken out in the first round in previous outings.
It seems White agrees that Jones vs. Aspinall is still a possibility — even going as far as to say he could see it being a main event for the White House event.
“My dream main event right now [for the White House card], would be Aspinall vs. Jones,” White said.
The biggest talking point in the MMA world at the moment is not one that involves a particular fighter, but one that involves the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the potential of something historic that 30 years ago would have been a crazy pipedream.
The U.S.’ Fourth of July celebrations this year marked the beginning of a year-long celebratory series of events that will lead to the country’s Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaring its independence from Great Britain.
During one of this year’s U.S. Independence Day events, Trump hyped up a vision of what he sees for next year’s grand celebration on July 4, 2026 (a Saturday). And Trump mentioned a UFC “fight” occuring on the lawn of the White House.
Turns out, this isn’t just hearsay, as the UFC would confirm to reporters that while nothing is set in stone, plans are indeed in motion for a July 4, 2026 card to be held in the nation’s capital.
Hours later, the likes of Conor McGregor and Jon Jones each posted to social media about interest in fighting on the card. This comes when McGregor hasn’t fought in the Octagon since 2021 and Jones announced a comeback after retiring and relinquishing the UFC heavyweight championship just two weeks earlier.
With MMA insider and personality Ariel Helwani and his crew — Petersy Carroll, Conner Burks, and Eric Jackman — back in the studio earlier this week, the group discussed what such an event could mean, if such an event is possible, and why fighters are scrambling to be a part of the card.
Is A UFC Card At The White House A Realistic Possibility? Who Would Be Part Of It?
Helwani and the others weren’t in complete agreement on if the card actually happens; however, they were in agreement about the significance of such a card — and perhaps why fighters want in on this. A UFC event on White House grounds would mark one of, if not the, most visible and mainstream moments for the sport of MMA in its history.
“It’d be the biggest spot MMA has ever been in, wouldn’t it?” said Petesy Carroll. “Could you imagine what that would look like in terms of a spectacle? Like we talked about the spectacle of the Sphere and stuff. Like, could you imagine that? The White House in the background with the Octagon.”
In fact, as Helwani mentions, MMA was targeted by American politicians and banned in most states 30 years ago. An event in the capital of the United States, on one of the country’s most prominent landmarks, underscores just how far the UFC has come.
“Ten years ago, it was still banned in New York,” Helwani said. “And to think that 10 years later — actually, the symbolism of [Trump] being elected the same week as the first show at MSG, 10 years later, an actual event at the White House — is pretty insane.”
That said, question arose as to the logistics of putting on such a card. President Trump said he sees 25,000+ people on the White House grounds, with Helwani and company being very skeptical of such a sight with proper maximum security measures put in place.
Scheduling also came into question, as while July 4, 2026, is a Saturday, it would put the event one week after the recent running dates of the UFC’s International Fight Week event (the last weekend of June). While some proposed the idea of moving International Fight Week to DC (which would be a whole other headache in itself) or re-scheduling International Fight Week, Helwani feels it’s doable to keep the week where it is and make what he would consider the most anticipated two-week period for the UFC.
On that note, it brings up the question of what kind of an event a UFC White House card would be — a traditional pay-per-view, a prominent Fight Night card (on either Netflix or ABC, depending on if Netflix and/or ESPN get the UFC’s US TV rights for 2026 and beyond), or a small but meaningful card similar to what the UFC had went it first joined up with FOX in 2011.
What Fighters Would Be Involved On A UFC White House Card?
As mentioned, McGregor and Jones are the two most prominent names who volunteered for a card. And Carroll mentioned that despite circumstances and controversies surrounding both men, it’s not surprising that both have raised their hand — and that the two would be in consideration for such a unique event.
“It doesn’t surprise me that likes Jones and Connor are suddenly interested in in being there,” Carroll said. “I mean, Connor had a massive PR pop when he arrived in the White House on St. Patrick’s Day — and [that] kind of became the catalyst for this political career he’s embarking on. So, I mean it would be a huge, huge deal.”
While Carroll is more than skeptical of the idea, the Boys in the Back (Burks and Jackman) add that McGregor would bring a fitting boost to such a unique event, and that it would be a “perfect” time for him to fight Chandler — a fight that has been anticipated since 2023 before ultimately getting canceled in 2024.
As far as Jones goes if there is one fight to make, Carroll feels there’s “one f****** fight to make” despite the Jones-Aspinall negotiations falling through officially with Jones’ brief retirement stint, which promoted Aspinall to undisputed champion.
Debates went through the group, however, about if one of them should headline given their baggage, as well as McGregor not being an American (though Chandler is). It also sparks debate about what fighters (with Bo Nickal and Sean Strickland’s names thrown out there) could be on the card — and if the fighter selections would be based on name value, lack of controversy, etc. This also comes at a time where Kayla Harrison is the sole American champion in the UFC.
A question was brought up additionally about if the UFC would be willing to sacrifice a high-revenue making fight like a Jones vs. Aspinall or McGregor vs. Chandler for the sake of the press they’d get for such a unique, historical, and political event.
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has given his thoughts on Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall potentially taking place after all – at the White House.
As we know, Jon Jones decided to retire from mixed martial arts just a few short weeks ago. However, he then proceeded to tease the idea of a comeback, implying that he’s re-entered the UFC testing pool. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of him, it’s safe to say that the majority of MMA hardcore fans aren’t happy by his indecisiveness.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the aforementioned Michael Bisping weighed in on the Jon Jones/Tom Aspinall ordeal.
Michael Bisping’s view on Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall
“I don’t know if Jon’s having a laugh, if he’s being silly, if he’s just taking the piss, or if he’s actually serious. I mean, what has changed in two weeks’ time? Of course, Trump talking about a fight at the White House. Maybe that’s it. I don’t think it is that. I do think that he would want to fight at the White House, and I’m sure every single fighter is going to want to do that.”
“Of course, him versus Tom Aspinall—England versus USA, 1776 all over again at the White House. Unbelievable. Of course that should be top of the bill, right? But is that really what’s going on? Is it just the fact that they’re going to do a fight at the White House or has something else changed? The fact that he’s re-entered the testing pool means he’s not messing around.”
Jon Jones’ legendary UFC run ended not with a bang, but a whimper.
Once upon a time, ‘Bones’ was considered by everyone to be the best mixed martial artist of all time. It was undeniable. Chances are, most fans still feel that way, but the last five years of his career has left a lot to be desired.
After vacating his 205-pound title in August 2020, Jones disappeared from the spotlight for three years in a bid to bulk up and eventually test his mettle at heavyweight. In May 2023, he finally returned to the Octagon, making quick work of Ciryl Gane to capture the vacant heavyweight crown. It was a dominant performance that had everyone excited for the future of the division after its previous champion, Francis Ngannou, practically held the belt hostage while failing to negotiate a new deal with the UFC.
Sadly, Jones’ heavyweight title run would be no different.
‘Bones’ defended the gold once over his 25 month reign, besting former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic in a fight that nobody really asked for. Meanwhile, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was relegated to the sidelines despite continuous calls for a unification clash with Jones.
‘Mighty Mouse’ Thinks Everyone Will Forget Jon Jones’ Missteps Over Time
The growing frustration among fight fans prompted one of them to launch a petition, calling for Dana White to strip Jones of the heavyweight title. Amassing nearly 200,000 signatures, both Jones and White acknowledged the petition, though neither of them took it seriously.
Jones ultimately vacated the heavyweight title, announcing his retirement from the sport in June. It wasn’t the ending that fans wanted and, in the eyes of many, hurt Jones’ status as the undisputed GOAT of MMA.
Asked whether or not the petition has any impact on Jones’ legacy, former UFC and ONE flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes that fans may be feeling a little sore about the way ‘Bones’ walked away, but over time, Jones will be best remembered for what he accomplished inside the Octagon, and not the mockery he made out of a once-loved weight class.
“I think it washes away after some time,” Johnson told Submission Radio. “Everybody’s going to forget. We still can’t take away the fact that Jon Jones has done amazing things inside the Octagon—most title defenses, most title wins in UFC history. The internet is a funny place. It doesn’t exist unless you go on it, right? When Jon Jones looks at his bank account and all his belts, I think the last thing he’s worried about is that 200,000 petition to strip him.”
As it turns out, Jon Jones may not be done just yet.
Less than two weeks after officially retiring from the sport, ‘Bones’ announced that he was re-entering the UFC testing pool.
Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks. Figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.
In what would be an insane plot twist to recent UFC events, former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones — just two weeks after announcing his official retirement from MMA — has announced he is coming out of retirement and re-entering the UFC’s drug testing pool.
Jones announced the move himself on social media, stating “figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.”
Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks. Figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.
It appears the recent news of U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to have a UFC card on the grounds of the White House next Fourth of July weekend — as part of the nation’s events to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday — may have hooked in Jones as well, based on a different social media post about 20 minutes prior.
Conor McGregor previously posted to social media earlier in the day, teasing that such an event could be what brings him out of his long UFC hiatus, and perhaps finally to take on Michael Chandler.
Jon Jones Announcing Reversal On Retirement Decision?
This news comes on the heels of Jones announcing his retirement recently in what many thought marked the end of a long, drawn-out saga of fight negotiations between him and new undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
There is a dispute over whether or not a fight between the two was nearly official prior to Jones’ retirement. Jones has claimed that a fight was never signed; meanwhile, UFC President Dana White claimed the fight had been signed and was to be announced — only for Jones to change his mind and retire, citing a lack of interest in competing. Jones made those remarks on a podcast appearance. MMA insider Ariel Helwani, meanwhile, claims White’s side to the story is the true sequence of events.
After dominating the UFC’s light heavyweight scene throughout the 2010s, Jones relinquished the light heavyweight title in 2020 and took a three-year hiatus, coming back at UFC 285 to defeat Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title.
He was scheduled to defend the title at UFC 295 against Stipe Miocic, but the fight was delayed one year after Jones tore his pec. The UFC elected not to strip Jones, with Aspinall winning the interim title at the card and making a rare defense of an interim belt, defeating Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Jones went on to defeat Miocic at UFC 309.
Jones has dealt with plenty of legal troubles over the years as well, and just hours after retiring, a report came out accusing Jones of leaving the scene of an accident this past February. Police alleged that, when speaking with Jones — after finding a woman naked from the waist down in a vehicle allegedly driven by Jones — Jones implied “his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties.”
Former UFC fighter Jon Jones appears to have responded to his most recent legal concerns on social media.
As we know, Jon Jones has decided to walk away from mixed martial arts and retire from the sport. Alongside that, he’s also been dealing with fresh legal problems in the midst of allegations that he fled the scene of an accident. As you can imagine, his attorney has dismissed this, but a lot of fans aren’t quite as convinced.
Jon Jones has always been pretty active on social media and we can’t really picture a world in which that changes. He likes to wind up the fans, and he also likes to voice his opinions. That’s just part of who he is, and we wouldn’t even be shocked to see him tease a return to the UFC at some point in the near future.
In the following tweets, however, Jon Jones seemed to make it clear that he isn’t happy with “lies” that he believes are being told right now.
One thing we all know about snakes, you let them hang around long enough, it’s only a matter of time before you get bit. It’s good to be real with the people that’s known you for a long time, but sometimes it’s OK to outgrow people. These are reasons why
Thank you, so far it’s going really amazing. Outside of the silly lies and distractions. Just became owner of another company. I would say first year in retirements going pretty good. Two new businesses in the books. https://t.co/iZBIigCZd1
“One thing we all know about snakes, you let them hang around long enough, it’s only a matter of time before you get bit. It’s good to be real with the people that’s known you for a long time, but sometimes it’s OK to outgrow people. These are reasons why.”
“Thank you, so far it’s going really amazing. Outside of the silly lies and distractions. Just became owner of another company. I would say first year in retirements going pretty good. Two new businesses in the books.”
Former UFC star Jon Jones is embroiled in yet another controversy – and now, body cam footage has been released in the wake of a recent criminal summons.
As we know, Jon Jones has opted to retire from mixed martial arts. This means that Tom Aspinall is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, which is a move that many had seen coming for quite some time. Jon never seemed particularly interested in squaring off with the Englishman and now, instead of doing so, he’s decided to ride off into the sunset.
Well, sunset may be a stretch. It was soon revealed hours later that Jon Jones has been caught up with the law once again, this time accused of fleeing the scene of an accident. He is scheduled for a bond arraignment on July 24.
Now, there has been body cam footage released, in which a man that sounds like Jon Jones can be heard talking with an officer.
Jon Jones’ latest issues
The individual on the other end can be heard threatening the officer, without ever refusing to confirm whether or not it’s actually Jon Jones on the line. The man himself released a cryptic statement shortly after the story broke, but aside from that, we haven’t heard a whole lot from him.
We all know that ‘Bones’ has been involved in multiple incidents over the years and if this is the way that he’s going to depart mixed martial arts, it certainly isn’t all that surprising given what we know about his past.
Tom Aspinall will have a growing line of contenders awaiting a chance to challenge him in his first undisputed title defense.
The top tier of the UFC heavyweight division had been stuck in limbo for the past two years, with the promotion holding out hope for a long-awaited title unification clash between reigning champion Jon Jones and interim titleholder Aspinall. On paper, it had all the makings of a historic showdown. But the bout never came to fruition, as “Bones” repeatedly dismissed the matchup, arguing that a win over Aspinall wouldn’t meaningfully elevate his already legendary résumé.
However, this past Saturday, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Jones has officially opted to retire from active competition. Consequently, Aspinall has now taken over as the undisputed heavyweight king. White added that the promotion will begin working with the Brit next week to book his first title defense.
🚨 BREAKING: @DanaWhite announces that Jon Jones has officially retired.
Tom Aspinall will soon look to defend his undisputed title, but identifying the most deserving challenger in the division’s chaotic landscape won’t be easy.
Image: @UFCEurope/X
Jailton Almeida Puts His Name In The Hat To Face Tom Aspinall Next
In his post, “Malhadinho” pitched himself as the most deserving contender and dismissed Ciryl Gane as unworthy of a title shot against Aspinall. He pointed out that the Frenchman had already fallen short in two previous championship bouts and argued that his recent win over Alexander Volkov was far from convincing.
“Congrats champ. You deserve that.Now, let’s make the only fight that makes sense — Aspinall vs. Almeida for the undisputed heavyweight title of the world. Gane ducked you and me before, already fought for the belt and lost twice, and his last win was a robbery,” Jailton Almeida wrote on X.
Congrats champ. You deserve that Now, lets make the only fight who make sense! Aspinall vs Almeida for undisputed HW title of the world Gane ducks you and me before, already fought for the belt and lost 2-times, and his last win was a robbery@AspinallMMA@danawhite@Mickmaynard2pic.twitter.com/RiTrNu4CCj
— Jailton Almeida “Malhadinho” (@Malhadinho_UFC) June 21, 2025
The 33-year-old Brazilian went a step further, listing fellow top contenders like Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes, and Volkov while pointing out that nearly all of them have already faced Tom Aspinall and failed to get the job done.
— Jailton Almeida “Malhadinho” (@Malhadinho_UFC) June 22, 2025
Almeida is riding the momentum of a two-fight win streak, with his most recent outing being a first-round knockout of Serghei Spivac at UFC 311 this past January. Before that, “Malhadinho” had compiled an impressive six-fight run in the Octagon, which was snapped by a TKO loss to Blaydes at UFC 299 in March 2024.
UFC legend Daniel Cormier has given his updated thoughts on Jon Jones following the latter’s retirement from mixed martial arts.
If there’s anyone in the MMA sphere that knows Jon Jones, it’s Daniel Cormier. He fought him on two separate occasions, and the pair had an incredible rivalry that lasted for years. Now, both men have officially hung up their gloves, with Jones following on from DC who made the decision many years ago now.
Between Jones retiring without fighting Tom Aspinall and his latest legal trouble, there are far more questions than answers right now. In a recent video, Daniel Cormier didn’t hold back when providing his perspective on the matter.
Daniel Cormier’s latest view on Jon Jones
“I said ‘If Jon Jones does not fight Tom Aspinall, he quit,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “… He quit. He did not want to fight Tom Aspinall. It’s so surprising. Is he scared? No. But by not fighting Aspinall, he opens the conversation. He lets you – every one of you – question why he doesn’t fight him.
“… To walk away right now opens the door for people to have the conversation about, ‘Does this affect the legacy?’”
“I honestly feel like if Tom loses, (Jones) would come back – and that’s crazy to me, because that’s only going to make it worse,” Cormier said.
Cormier went on to address Jon’s recent legal issues.
“The saddest thing about this to me is that it’s not surprising,” Cormier said. “I’ve seen him do things over the course of his career that have been very dangerous, and it’s just not smart. I hope that as he goes into the next phase of his career, if it’s over forever, that he fills the void with something positive.”
“I will go to my grave believing he quit instead of fighting (Aspinall),” Cormier said. “… Jon Jones has got to get this sh*t together, man. … They gave him the money. They agreed to everything. And he still just would not do it.”
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Jon Jones changed his mind about fighting Tom Aspinall as fans come to terms with his retirement.
As we know, Jon Jones has decided to retire from mixed martial arts. While he’s had an incredible career, his heavyweight run certainly left a lot to be desired. The majority of fight fans are of the belief that he should’ve squared off with Aspinall, especially given that the Englishman is the interim champion in the division.
Either way, though, it doesn’t seem as if we’re going to see Jon Jones in action anytime soon, especially now that Aspinall has been promoted to undisputed champion status. There were plenty of rumors going around regarding how this came about and in a recent interview, Dana White opted to shed a bit of light on the subject.
Dana White confirms Jon Jones changed his mind about Tom Aspinall fight
“I saw (Jones’ legal news Sunday). When I saw it today, I thought, ‘Every one is going to think that’s why he retired,’” White told the Mac Life and other reporters Sunday at the Canelo vs. Crawford news conference in New York. “Maybe that is why he retired. Who the hell knows, man. I don’t know. These are all questions you have to ask him. We had the fight done. You saw me talking about it very confidently, that this fight was going to happen, and then he changed his mind.”
“No, (he’s not ducking Tom Aspinall),” White said. “Jon Jones, I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it again: He’s never ducked anybody other than that one goofy time with the Chael Sonnen thing (at UFC 151). He’s never ducked anybody and I think the reality of it is, whatever changed his mind with this fight, you’d have to ask him that. He’s 38 years old, and I don’t know.”
Jon Jones may now be retired from active MMA competition, but the former two-division UFC champion’s legal issues have not stopped it seems.
According to court records, charges were filed against Jones on June 17 for leaving the scene of an accident that took place back on February 24. MMA Fighting obtained the official court record.
Per the Albuquerque Journal, a police officer investigating a traffic crash found a woman in the front passenger seat “exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down.”
The woman claimed Jones was the driver of the vehicle but fled the scene on foot. She then reportedly called Jones, and when a police aide spoke to the man on the phone believed to be him, he “appeared to be heavily intoxicated and made statements implying his capacity to employ lethal force through third parties.”
When a police officer received similar threatening statements from Jones, backup was requested. The man never confirmed if he was Jones when directly asked by officers.
Jon Jones Charged After Leaving Scene Of February Car Accident
The woman later told police that she drank and consumed mushrooms at Jones’ residence before needing to change her clothes. Then, “her next recollection was being at the scene of a traffic accident.” The woman claimed Jones was the last person she remembered driving the vehicle.
A few days after the incident, Jones was interviewed by police and claimed that the intoxicated woman had left his house earlier in the day and called him after getting into the accident. Jones claimed the person the woman handed the phone to “immediately opened the conversations with unprofessional language, which led him to doubt the legitimacy of the individual’s claim.”
There is no word on why the official charge came four months after the incident.
Jones is scheduled to appear in court on July 24 for a bond arraignment.
Of course, this is far from Jones’ first run-in with the law. Jones has faced multiple DWI charges throughout his career, as well as abuse charges. There is also the infamous 2015 hit-and-run Jones had that resulted in him being stripped of the UFC light heavyweight championship.
All this time waiting, and the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight will not come to pass.
At the UFC Baku Post-Fight Press Conference, UFC CEO and President Dana White officially declared the status of Jon Jones as “retired,” officially ending Jones’ two-year run as the UFC heavyweight champion.
As a result, the UFC head honcho has announced, Tom Aspinall, who was the interim UFC heavyweight champion, will now be elevated to undisputed champion.
“Jon Jones called us last night and retired,” White said. “Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC.”
Tom Aspinall Named New Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion Following Jon Jones Retirement
Since Aspinall’s interim title win, talks have circulated around a potential undisputed title fight between Jones and Aspinall — with those talks intensifying after Jones’ win over Miocic. Constant debates were had over if Jones would actually take up the fight.
While there had been moments of hope — for instance, White claiming the fight was nearly signed — there had been plenty of moments that showed the fight might not happen. Instances included Aspinall’s “duck” callout earlier in the year at UFC London, as well as Aspinall’s father berating Jones and his team about dragging out negotiations.
Just a couple of days ago, Jones appeared on the Full Send Podcast and stated that he is at a point where he doesn’t care about fighting.
“I am retired,” Jones said. “Right now, I could really care less about fighting. I’ve been doing it all my life at a very high level. When the itch comes back, if it comes back, then I’ll do it with my whole heart, and I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.”
🚨 Jon Jones says he has no interest in fighting right now:
“Right now, I could really care less about fighting…
When the itch comes back, if it comes back, then I’ll do it with my whole heart.”
Jones had been heavyweight champion since submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 — which marked his first fight in the UFC after vacating the UFC light heavyweight championship — a division that Jones dominated throughout the 2010s — three years prior.
Jones only made one defense of the championship, defeating former champion Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 this past November. The two had been scheduled to meet at UFC 295 the previous year, also at Madison Square Garden, before a torn pec put Jones on the shelf.
It was at that UFC 295 card where Aspinall defeated Sergei Pavlovich to become interim heavyweight champion. He defended the interim title in a rare feat at UFC 304, scoring a first-round finish of Curtis Blaydes.
![“[Merab Dvalishvili] Could Fight Jon Jones, He Would Beat Him,” Says Ex-UFC Vet](https://media.mmanews.com/uploads/2025/07/Merab-Dvalishvili-Could-Fight-Jon-Jones-He-Would-Beat-Him-Says-Ex-UFC-Vet.png)
