Dana White Doesn't Trust Jon Jones, 'Billion to One' Odds to Make UFC White House Card

UFC president Dana White threw cold water on the idea that Jon Jones could compete in the event the company plans to stage at the White House in 2026.

"Let me ask you, what do you think Jon would do in the next couple of months that would make me trust putting him on the White House card?" White said in his press conference after UFC 319. "... So I already said that I don't trust him, and you’re asking me what could he do for me to trust him in the next three months? You don't trust him! I don't talk to him, either. I haven't talked to him at all. If I had to make odds, it's a billion to one that I put Jon Jones on the White House card."

Jones retired from active competition in June. A month later, however, the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion said he was intrigued by the idea of fighting at the White House. He said it "gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts."

Anybody who has followed MMA over the last few years probably shares White's skepticism.

Jones has fought just three times since 2019, the most recent of which was at UFC 309 in November 2024. Injuries, legal troubles and contract disputes all conspired to limit how much he set foot inside the Octagon.

The symbolism behind UFC staging a show at the White House around the July 4 holiday is massive. White described it as "a 1-of-1 event" to the Associated Press' Dan Gelston.

"Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS," he said.

UFC will presumably want to have a major star in the headline bout, but the occasion also demands having fighters who are consistently reliable. The company will want to avoid as much as a possible a situation where it announces a marquee name, only to make a late substitution that lessens the overall spectacle.