Dana White is not holding a grudge against Jon Jones.
For most of the past two years, the MMA world was captivated by the potential Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall heavyweight title fight, but earlier this year,
Jones ended all that when he retired from the sport in lieu of facing Aspinall.
However, shortly afterward, the UFC announced plans to hold a card at the White House in the summer of 2026, and Jones immediately lobbied to be on it. Thus far, his pleas have fallen on deaf ears, with Dana White saying he can’t trust Jones to headline such a big event. In response, Jones came out and admitted to handling the Aspinall situation poorly, saying he wants to apologize to White personally. Well, White says that’s not necessary.
“Listen, he doesn’t need to apologize to me for anything,” White told TMZ Sports. “Even through all the bad stuff that Jon and I have gone through, I still say that Jon Jones is the greatest of all time, because it’s a fact. Everybody starts laughing when I say it; Jon Jones is the greatest of all time, period, end of story. I know it, and everybody else knows it.
“So there’s nothing for Jon to apologize about. Dealing with Jon over the last however many years has been a unique experience, I can tell you that. But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s the best ever.”
Whether White will change his mind about Jones competing at UFC White House remains to be seen, though the UFC CEO did mention that “Jones is retired,” which perhaps doesn’t bode well for the former light heavyweight champion. And even if he does change his mind, it still may not be what Jones wants. Jones has been lobbying to face light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC White House, but if Jones comes back, White still has his sights set on the heavyweight title.
“First of all, Ciryl [Gane] and Tom [Aspinall] have to fight again, and whoever wins that fight, them and Jon Jones would be the biggest one ever,” White said.
