Jon Jones has reacted to UFC CEO Dana White’s comments that “Bones” is too risky a fighter to have competing on next year’s White House card.
U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he’d have a UFC event on the White House lawn for America 250 celebrations on July 4th, 2026. That led to Jon Jones reversing course on his two week old decision to retire, and now the G.O.A.T. contender is back in the drug testing pool hoping to compete on the historic card.
Unfortunately, he’s gained enough of a reputation for taking his ball and going home that White essentially said thanks but no thanks to Jon’s offer to headline.
“I just can’t risk putting him in big positions — in a big spot — and have something go wrong,” White said following UFC 318. “Especially the White House card.”
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.
In a recent interview, I shared that the…
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) July 20, 2025
Now Jones is responding to the words from his boss.
“I heard the comments made at last night’s press conference,” Jones wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “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,” he continued. “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.”
Asked whether Jones would consider fighting again if it wasn’t on the White House card, the former champion suggested he wouldn’t.
“I don’t think so but right now it’s hard to say,” Jones wrote. “I’m just gonna focus on staying focused, getting in the best shape and continuing to nail all the business that I already have on the table.”
That’s actually not what he said, he said he can’t afford for anything to go wrong. Which is understandable, it’s hard to commit to any athletes literally still a year out. Let’s not twist words, my entire career has been a main event. https://t.co/eiIvVn2wtb
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) July 20, 2025
Jones pushed back when a fan said the UFC couldn’t trust him to headline.
“That’s actually not what he said,” he wrote. “He said he can’t afford for anything to go wrong. Which is understandable, it’s hard to commit to any athletes literally still a year out. Let’s not twist words, my entire career has been a main event.”
White knows more than a little bit about things going wrong when Jon Jones is involved. UFC 151 was cancelled outright after Jones refused to fight Chael Sonnen after Dan Henderson withdrew from the fight with a knee injury. “Bones” was pulled from the UFC 200 main event at the last second over a drug test failure, leaving the historic card to be headlined by Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes. And the promotion moved UFC 232 from Nevada to California on a week’s notice after Jones’ infamous ‘pulsing picograms’ popped up.
Jones also happens to hold two dubious records: he’s the most stripped UFC champion in history, and has relinquished more UFC titles than anyone. That touches on but doesn’t really go into all the headaches and bad press he’s caused with numerous arrests, charges, and disturbing behavior. You just never know when a new case is going to surface, like the latest from February (and the one before from last April).
That being said, it would be pretty unfortunate to have Jones walk away from the sport like this. Is there no way the UFC can come to terms with “Bones” and work something out? Or at this point is it wiser to not expect anything from Jones other than headaches?