Donald Trump Becomes the Last Hope for Jon Jones to Feature in UFC’s White House Card

“He reached out, he wrote, like a text saying, ‘Listen, sorry how this all played out’ or whatever. ‘I want to fight at the White House –I’m serious about that.’” Dana White revealed to Sirius XM’s Zach Gelb that Jon Jones is dead set on competing at the UFC’s rumored White House spectacle next year in July. So much so that Jones even announced that he was back in the drug testing pool. And while fans would love nothing more than to see ‘Bones’ headline what could be the greatest event in the promotion’s history, the UFC CEO isn’t exactly sold on the idea just yet.

The UFC head honcho has already revealed that reliability has to be one of the main aspects fighters need to have in case anything unexpectedly falls out at the American Independence Day event. And while White named Conor McGregor as that reliable fighter on Wade Plemons’ podcast last week, he clearly stated he doesn’t trust Jon Jones to headline the coveted event, stating, “I need guys that I can absolutely count on.” So, it seems like Jones won’t actually get the chance to perform at the White House event. But wait! UFC analyst Ariel Helwani believes that Donald Trump could actually be the one to help bring ‘Bones’ back for the White House fight.

Ariel Helwani explains why Donald Trump could help bring Jon Jones back

On the Ariel Helwani show, the UFC reporter said, “Look, I’m not saying that Dana White won’t do this. He seems to be pretty damn steadfast on not doing it. Here’s the thing, though. They may need him. Donald Trump may ask for him. But there are other factors involved here, no doubt about it. I also know Dana White. He can hold a grudge, and when he says he feels a certain way, he tends to stick to that. So, this is all very telling.”

Well, the UFC analyst points out something interesting here. At UFC 309, Jon Jones and Donald Trump shared a viral moment after ‘Bones’ pulled off the ‘Trump dance’ and even handed him the belt. It’s pretty clear the two have mutual respect. On top of that, Jones might just be the most recognizable UFC star from the US! This makes him a natural fit for an event celebrating the nation’s Independence Day. So the POTUS could ask the UFC for the former champion to headline the event. Still, Helwani believes Dana White may not easily forgive him for what Jones did.

Helwani added, “But if you’re wondering why he’s apologizing, it’s for that reason. He said he was in, then he said he was out. And I think Dana White doesn’t like coming out in front of the media and saying this is 100% happening, then look like he was a liar. Because I think he believed that if we got him the money, he was going to do it. And they did, and he didn’t. They’ll remember that.”  

Helwani isn’t wrong here. White clearly seems upset with Jon Jones after the deal with Tom Aspinall fell through. He pushed hard to make one of the biggest heavyweight fights of the year, only to see Jon Jones retire. That’s why the UFC CEO started showing real resentment toward him. While neither has publicly revealed the full reason behind the conflict, Helwani points out that Jones turning down the fight with the Brit may have been the last straw for Dana White.

That takes us to another question! Amid the ongoing rift between Dana White and Jon Jones, does the UFC boss still recognize him as the greatest of all time? Because it seems like he might have changed his mind just a little bit.

Dana White slightly changes tune on Bones’ GOAT status

The UFC CEO gave rise to a wave of memes after repeatedly putting Jon Jones as his greatest of all time. He never shied away from going full debate mode with anyone who disagreed. But now, after the relationship between them soured a little, White seems to be slightly tracking back from his initial claims.

On The W.A.D.E. Concept podcast, White said, “Jon Jones and I just had a deal that he pulled out of, so he’s not on the top of my list, even though I say it all the time, he’s the greatest of all time. I still know that to be a fact. He’s not the greatest of all time guy you can count on, that you know 100 percent is going to be solid and be there.”

That’s how quickly things can change in the UFC! And while Jon Jones is falling out of the UFC CEO’s good graces, Chael Sonnen has already floated a pathway that could actually put him back into headlining the White House event. Whether the former heavyweight champion ends up fighting or not, we’ll only know a year from now, when a lot can change.

With that being said, what do you think? Will Jon Jones end up becoming the star of the American Independence Day event? Let us know in the comments section below.