Dana White blocked Jon Jones’ comeback plans. The UFC CEO said Jones won’t headline the first-ever UFC event at the White House, set for July 4, 2026. Speaking after UFC 318 on July 19, 2025, in New Orleans, White pointed to Jones’ troubled past. Jones, a former champion, recently unretired, but White won’t trust him for such a big show.
Jones’ Return and White’s Decision
The White House event will mark America’s 250th anniversary on the South Lawn. White is working with Ivanka Trump to plan the card, set against the Washington Monument. Jones, who retired in June 2025, announced his return in early July, targeting the event. He re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool to be eligible.
White isn’t convinced.
“It’s not even about him winning the belt,” White said at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference. “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.”
He cited Jones’ 2015 hit-and-run and 2016 drug test failure as concerns.
The card is a year away, and White isn’t locking in matchups.
“That fight’s a year away,” he said. “So I’m not thinking about anything right now. The landscape will change so much by next 4th of July, who knows what’s going to happen. Who knows who’s going to be on the card. What the main event will be or who will hold all the titles. Everything could be completely different so it’s not even worth thinking about it right now.”
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.” 😬
🎥 @ufc pic.twitter.com/jJlJCNejIZ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 20, 2025
Jon Jones, now 38, has a 27-1-1 record with 10 knockouts. He won the UFC light heavyweight title in 2011 against Mauricio Rua, defending it eight times. In 2023, he claimed the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane. Jones beat Daniel Cormier, Alexander Gustafsson, and Stipe Miocic, retiring after the Miocic win at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024, and vacating the heavyweight title.
His career has setbacks. In 2015, Jones lost his title after a hit-and-run before UFC 187. In 2016, a failed drug test canceled his UFC 200 rematch with Cormier. A 2023 pectoral injury delayed his Miocic fight by a year. These issues make White wary of featuring Jones in a major event.
The White House card faces strict security rules. White called it a huge event but hasn’t named fighters. Jones, Conor McGregor, and Derrick Lewis have shown interest, while Tom Aspinall, the current heavyweight champion, was once White’s pick to face Jones. Jones never fought Aspinall, which drew criticism.
White’s choice shifts focus to other fighters for 2026. Jones’ return remains unclear, as White prioritizes reliability for this historic show. With planning in early stages, White keeps his options open for the card.
