Last weekend, during the UFC 326 main card, the promotion officially unveiled its highly anticipated White House event. The main event will feature lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defending his title against Justin Gaethje, while the co-main event sees Alex Pereira challenge Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight championship.
Surprisingly, Jon Jones, who many expected to face Alex Pereira, was conspicuously absent from the announced lineup. This omission caught current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall by surprise.
“What about Jon Jones? I thought Jon Jones was on it. Where has he gone, Jon? I thought they were gonna do Topuria vs. Islam and Pereira vs. Jones,” Aspinall commented via YouTube, expressing his confusion.
Following the announcement, UFC CEO Dana White addressed the situation in a press conference. He confirmed that discussions had taken place with Jon Jones but stated that there were no plans to include “Bones” in the White House event. White then delivered a strong statement, suggesting that Jones, who he claimed suffers from severe arthritis, should consider ending his fighting career.
Jones has a long and often complicated history with the UFC. Just last year, he withdrew from a planned fight against Tom Aspinall over disagreements regarding his fight purse, subsequently criticizing the promotion online.
Jon Jones Sends Final Message to UFC Amid Controversy
Dana White’s comments infuriated Jon Jones, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to post several emotionally charged messages. Jones expressed feelings of betrayal, having been excited about the White House event only to be denied the opportunity despite his extensive career with the promotion.
In his “final message” to the UFC leadership, Jones, a veteran of over 15 years who has faced some of the biggest names in the sport, issued a stern warning. He wrote:
“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. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m ‘done’ is disappointing…If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today.”
According to Jon Jones, he declined the opportunity to fight at the White House event due to an insufficient financial offer. Tom Aspinall supported Jones’s stance, criticizing the UFC and asserting that a legendary fighter of Jones’s caliber deserves significantly better compensation.