For months, UFC CEO Dana White has said there’s almost no chance Jon Jones will appear at the UFC’s 2026 White House event, joking the odds are “a billion-to-one.” Jones retired earlier this year without unifying his heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall, who was later promoted to undisputed champion. But Jones has since claimed he’s not retired and wants to fight at the White House.
Dana White Doubts, But Cormier Sees Opportunity
Daniel Cormier, Jones’ longtime rival, says the UFC boss has it wrong. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier explained:
“If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know that I agree (with White). I think I’d let him fight. I think if he wants to fight, I’d let him fight because, for as much as mixed martial arts is a global sport and it’s a sport that everybody loves and we support people from all around the world, at the end of the day, when you’re fighting at the White House, you want American people that can win.”
Why Jones Still Matters on the Global Stage
Jon Jones stepped away this summer without facing Tom Aspinall in a unification bout. Aspinall was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion soon after, while Jones later declared that he wasn’t truly retired.
Cormier insists that Jones would still be the betting favorite if they were matched up, making him the ideal American representative for the White House spectacle.
“Imagine if we’re on the White House lawn and the Americans aren’t winning fights – and that could happen. When the opening line for (Conor) McGregor vs. (Michael) Chandler comes out, Chandler is going to be a pretty substantial underdog, as he should be. Even though Conor hasn’t fought forever, he’ll still be the favorite to beat Michael Chandler.
But if you put Jon Jones against Tom Aspinall for what everybody says, that Tom Aspinall is the guy to beat him, when that line opens, I bet Jon Jones is still going to be the favorite. He’ll be the favorite to beat Tom Aspinall. He’ll be the guy who’s the world champion, or at least was the world champion before he vacated his title and retired. He’ll still be the favorite to win that fight. I think you’ve got to let him fight.”
The $1 Million Safeguard Proposal
White has voiced concerns that Jones can’t be trusted to make it to fight night, pointing to past contract disputes and legal issues. Cormier believes the solution is strict clauses written into his deal.
“I think you put some things in his contract that makes it very costly to not follow through,” Cormier said. “Do you understand? If you put Jon Jones on the White House card, say something that happens in the law, and he has to be pulled from the card, $1 million. Say he just says he doesn’t want to fight, $1 million. Say he gets injured, then it should be less, as long as the injury can be proven. If the injury is proven, charge him nothing. He’s just a normal fighter, who got injured in training camp. But you put these safeguards in place to make sure that he shows up there. Because one, you make a card with him and Conor McGregor? Massive. Massive eyes will be on that card.
Two, you put an American guy in there in the main event that has a real chance to win the fight and send everyone home, feeling very good. It’s why the good guys win at the end of movies, because they want to feel good leaving the theater, except for Million Dollar Baby, which was a bullsht movie because that woman died or something at the end of the movie and I hated the way I felt when I left. Nobody goes to the movies for that sht. We go to the movies to see sh*t and feel good when we leave.”
Cormier’s Final Plea for Jones
Cormier wrapped up his argument by pointing out that since Jones left, there have been no Americans ranked in the pound-for-pound top ten. For a card staged on U.S. soil at such a symbolic venue, he believes the UFC must make it happen.
“I think that the White House card deserves the chance for that to happen. Because hey, we have no American guys in the top 10 of the pound-for-pound since Jon Jones retired. That’s crazy. Come on. Come on, boss. It’s me asking you to give Jon Jones a chance. That’s crazy. But the renderings are sick. The White House is going to be nuts, and the boys will be there. So let’s go.” via MMAJunkie
McGregor Already Locked, Jones Still in Limbo
Conor McGregor recently confirmed that he will fight Michael Chandler at the White House event. McGregor has been the headliner of his last ten bouts, while Jones has closed the show in his last seventeen. If they were to appear on the same night, one streak would have to end, though McGregor is the bigger box office draw.
White has said he trusts McGregor more but remains “skeptical” of Jones. Still, with Cormier publicly backing his old foe, the conversation around Jones’ role in the White House card isn’t going away.
