Dana White poured cold water on Jon Jones's plan for a final fight in the White House, only a few days after he had branded a 'dream' headliner.
The UFC CEO will have called the 'worst card ever' on July 4 next summer, when it delivers an unprecedented pay-per-view event of the Witte House Lawn. President Donald Trump, a large fighting fan, supports the event as an important part of America's 250th birthday.
The legendary former two -weight world champion Jones was one of the many star hunters who wanted to compete, with Conor McGregor also campaigning for a place on the map. But it seems that the controversial New Yorker can be a bridge too far for the headliner on the lawn of the White House.
Dana White concludes Jon Jones's plan to fight in the White House
After it retired in mid -June, it only took until the beginning of July before Jon Jones announced his intentions to fight again after he heard of President Trump's plans for an event in the White House. Jones's politics is not generally known, but he jumped famous on the cage to present the president's belt to UFC 309.
When asked about Jon Jones on the map of the White House, Dana White: I can't run the risk of placing him in large positions, in a large place and leaving something wrong. pic.twitter.com/Z51TVEKJGU
– Jed I. Goodman © (@Jedigoodman) July 20, 2025
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However, Dana White does not seem so enthusiastic about the idea and notes that Jones is far from the most reliable hunter in the schedule of the UFC. Speaking at a press conference after UFC 318 in Louisiana On Saturday evening he was asked about the opportunity that Jones returned and the belt took without plans to defend.
“It's not even about winning the belt,” explained White. “You know how I felt about him. You know that I can't run the risk of placing him in a large place in a large place and let something go wrong – especially the map of the White House.”
Dana White Brand Jon Jones 'Dream' White House Headliner just a few days ago
It is a pretty dramatic U-turn for White, who told the Nelk Boys on their entire podcast just a few days ago that Jones vs Tom Aspinall would be his dream head for the show. The Brit received the undisputed title after more than a year as an interim champion when his rival retired in June.
And White even teased that Jones could share the map with McGregor in what an unheard of level of star power would be on one show. “The Dream Main Event would be Aspinall vs. Jones,” White replied when asked what he would ideally see.
Both Jones and McGregor have claimed that they have reintroduced the UFC drug test pool with sufficient time to go through the required amount of tests for the following summer. But it is still to be seen whether both actually get the shot they crave.