Jake Paul has weighed in on the ongoing situation surrounding Jon Jones, particularly after the legendary fighter was excluded from the highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event.
Last year, Jones relinquished his heavyweight title, opting for retirement rather than facing then-interim champion Tom Aspinall. Yet, with the announcement of the UFC White House event, the former two-division king quickly re-entered the testing pool, expressing keen interest in competing on June 14.
For months, speculation mounted that “Bones” would face Alex Pereira at the White House event. However, the fight card revealed this past weekend conspicuously lacked Jones’ name. Instead, Pereira, having vacated his light heavyweight belt to pursue a third divisional title, is now slated to fight Ciryl Gane for the interim 265-pound championship in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250.
When questioned about Jones’ absence from the card, UFC CEO Dana White sarcastically remarked that “Bones” was retired due to hip arthritis and that the company had not contacted him regarding the White House event. Jones, however, countered these claims, asserting that he was indeed in negotiations with UFC management, but they offered an unacceptably low sum. Consequently, his potential final fight, initially planned for June 14, fell through. Displeased with White’s remarks, Jones has since requested his release from the UFC if they believe he no longer brings value to the promotion.
Jon Jones publicly responded to Dana White’s statements:
“Hey everyone, I wanted to address Dana White’s comments from this past weekend, because the truth matters to me and the fans. 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…”
— Jon Jones (@JonnyBones) March 9, 2026
Jake Paul Extends Invitation to Jon Jones for MVP
Jake Paul has extended an open invitation to Jon Jones to join Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) should he become a free agent. Paul pledged that MVP would ensure Jones receives the compensation he truly merits for an MMA fight. Speaking at the recent press conference for Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, ‘The Problem Child’ addressed the media, stating:
“Jon [Jones], you’re always welcome to come over to MVP. We’ll get you paid what you deserve.”
This message from Jake Paul was also shared on social media:
“Jake Paul’s message to Jon Jones at the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano presser 🎙 ‘Jon, you’re always welcome to come over to MVP. We’ll get you paid what you deserve.’ ”
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) March 10, 2026
MVP’s inaugural MMA event is scheduled for May 16, featuring a five-round featherweight main event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano. The co-main event will see Francis Ngannou face Philipe Lins in a heavyweight bout. This landmark card will be Netflix’s first live MMA broadcast.
Paul himself expressed his excitement about this venture:
“Surreal moment. I started taking judo because of Ronda Rousey. Now I get to work with her and Gina Carano to bring MMA to Netflix. Here we go…@MostVpromotions”
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) February 17, 2026
With MVP already securing prominent fighters like ‘The Predator’ (Ngannou), ‘Rowdy’ (Rousey), and Carano, the potential addition of Jon Jones could pave the way for a highly anticipated clash between ‘Bones’ and Ngannou, a matchup fans have long desired.
The prospect has already stirred significant excitement:
“Imagine Jake Paul pulling this off on Netflix… Dana might have a heart attack.”
— No Context Ariel Helwani (@NoContextAriel) March 9, 2026