With the historic UFC White House fight card finally revealed — and UFC CEO Dana White repeatedly insisting that Jon Jones was “never, ever” going to compete on the event scheduled for June 14, 2026 — the former two-division champion has broken his silence about the entire situation.
“Hey everyone, I wanted to address Dana White’s comments from this past weekend, because the truth matters to me and the fans,” Jones wrote on social media. “Dana, you were heated about why I’m
not on the White House card, but let’s clear something up. My team and I were actually negotiating with the UFC for that fight. Real negotiations. I even came down from my original number, and what was I offered in return? I was lowballed.”
Jones also addressed White’s claim that hip issues played a role in the decision.
“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense.”
According to Jones, he was actively preparing to compete on the historic event.
“I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready.
I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right.
After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m “done” is disappointing. Especially when, as recently as Friday, UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number.
If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today.
No more spins, no more games.
Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up. Bones out.”
Meanwhile, reporter Ariel Helwani revealed that the promotion did, in fact, negotiate with Jones. The reported plan was for him to headline the UFC White House card against fellow two-division champion Alex Pereira, but the two sides ultimately could not agree on financial terms.
Whether Jones was ever truly close to fighting on the card remains up for debate. White has maintained that Jones was never seriously considered, citing his hip issues along with several past controversies outside the cage.
Jones requesting his release is particularly intriguing. With former UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou recently free from his contract with Professional Fighters League (PFL), a long-discussed super fight between the two could theoretically be possible — perhaps even on a major platform like Netflix.
That scenario, however, would depend entirely on the UFC actually granting Jones his release rather than forcing him to sit out until his contract expires.
To checkout the complete UFC White House card and lineup click here.
