Jon Jones’ UFC White House dreams have been crushed. This development also crushed his hopes of a return to the Octagon, as Dana White blatantly urged Jones to stay retired. Does that come as a shocker? Yes, because many linked the former heavyweight champion to a fight against Alex Pereira. But UFC had its reasons to overlook him for the historic event, and Jorge Masvidal is seemingly not liking that.

“I just know Jon Jones is one of the best fighters ever,” said Masvidal on the Deathrow MMA podcast. “You want to see the guy get paid, but at the same time, there has been an inconsistency with Jon in the past. So, you can’t blame the UFC, it’s a business. They gotta put the guys if they feel gonna sell the most tickets and be the most reliable… Hope it’s not a money issue. I don’t know what the real underlying issue is.

I heard different things. If it’s because they don’t want to pay Jon, that’s some sh*t to me, right? Because out of Dana White’s own mouth. Jon Jones is one of the best fighters that ever lived. So if the best fighter that ever lived ain’t getting paid what he deserves, who is?… But if he’s not in the White House card, just put him somewhere else, put him in a big fight.”

For those unaware, Jon Jones opted for retirement back in June 2025. However, as soon as the UFC White House event was announced, the former heavyweight champion reversed on that stance. Surely, for him, the historic event meant a lot, considering it would be a part of America’s 250th anniversary and POTUS Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

But of course, the UFC may have its reasons behind it. And one of them is the lack of reliability on ‘Bones’. That said, did the former heavyweight champion do any such act to upset Dana White & Co.? Yes, according to the UFC CEO, it’s because of the way Jones backed out from an agreed title unification fight against Tom Aspinall.

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, left the promotion in 2023 after having disputes with Dana White and Co. over fighters’ pay and freedom for fighters to work outside the UFC. However, given Jones’ stature and history with the promotion, fans expected him to get an opportunity to feature at the White House Card.

As per Ariel Helwani, Jones reportedly demanded around $30 million to fight on the UFC White House card. While the promotion didn’t entertain that, Masvidal urged it to respect those demands, especially given how highly White rates ‘Bones’ as a fighter. As such, time and again, the UFC CEO has labeled Jones as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

So, despite that acknowledgment of Jones’ stature, Masvidal is not happy with how the leading MMA promotion is dealing with the former heavyweight champion. Even if the UFC fulfills that demand, who could Jones fight next? In answering that question, ‘Gamebred’ has proposed an idea.

Jorge Masvidal wants UFC to book Jon Jones in “the biggest, baddest” heavyweight fight

Jon Jones is arguably one of the standout MMA fighters with a record of 28-1-0 (1 NC). But at this stage of his career, Jones is also struggling with a severe hip injury. And this is something that also concerned the UFC while considering him for the White House card.

However, Jorge Masvidal, who is a longtime friend of ‘Bones’, still advocates for him to fight. As such, in the process, he has also provided a layout on how the leading MMA promotion should handle Jones’ next UFC fights.

“I know, obviously, Jon has injuries now that’ve come to light,” said Masvidal in the aforementioned podcast. “But it’s still it’s Jon Jones, man. When the lights turn on, and that cage door closes, he turns into a f**king winner. That’s what he does. He wins, so I want to see Jon Jones there, but not just against anybody.

I want to see him against the biggest, baddest, best heavyweight possible. And let’s make that fight happen. You know, let’s give Jon Jones a paycheck he deserves before he rides out into the sunset. I think he’s hinting at a couple of times about retirement. I just hope they get the man what he deserves.”

Surely, a fight between Alex Pereira and ‘Bones’ was a great option. But that ship has sailed as Pereira will now fight Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title on the White House card on June 14. If not ‘Poatan’, then who else is left? Tom Aspinall can be a potential opponent.

However, as the reigning heavyweight champion, he would have the obligation towards the title unification bout. So, where does that leave Jones? Let us know in the comments below!