“He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it” ... right?
For the past month, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been teasing his return from retirement before officially confirming that he’s back.
And the sole reason for ending his short retirement was to “entertain the country and the world” one last time by fighting at next year’s mega UFC White House event, currently planned for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
Well, “Bones” may
have unretired in vain, as UFC CEO Dana White appears to have dismissed the idea of Jones headlining this landmark event.
“It’s not even about him winning the belt,” White told reporters when asked if he’s fine with Jones coming back during the UFC 318 post-fight press conference. “I mean, you know 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.”
While this isn’t an outright “no” to Jones fighting at the White House, White’s reluctance is clear. He seems unwilling to stake what could be the UFC’s biggest fight card ever on someone with a track record of derailing major events, as Jones did at UFC 200.
This hesitation is surprising, given that just last week, White called a Jones vs. Tom Aspinall matchup his dream main event for the card.
That said, White has repeatedly stressed that he’s not yet focused on the card’s lineup, stating, “We’re a year out, and the UFC landscape will shift before then.”
Grab your popcorn and expect an explosive Twitter/X rant by Jones when he hears the news.
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
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