We know how Dana White holds on to a grudge. But will his adamance be his undoing? Joe Rogan, for one, believes White should put aside his personal feelings to prepare a card like no other for the upcoming UFC White House event. The Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira super heavyweight fight at the UFC White House event could shatter records. Yet, White remains hesitant to include the former heavyweight champion on the card because of his unreliable nature.

After last year’s blunder, where Jones retired without completing a unification bout against Tom Aspinall, White had said, “I can’t put Jon Jones in a position where he can pull out.” But with the promotion already short on star power after fighters like Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev sitting on the sidelines, Joe Rogan even encouraged Dana White to move past his grudge.

Joe Rogan pushes Dana White for Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones showdown

“A heavyweight version of the BMF belt, you know what I’m saying? It’s gonna be June 14 next year. They’re building an arena, the great Dana White is building an arena. They are going to have eight or nine championship fights. They should do Alex Pereira and him at the White House,” said Joe Rogan while speaking to Gable Steveson on JRE MMA Show #172.

Fans have called for the Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones fight since 2024, when Dana White initially reacted, “No f–king way,” to the matchup. However, White later reconsidered, asking Alex Pereira to defend his LHW title against Magomed Ankalaev and Jon Jones to put his heavyweight title on the line against interim champion Tom Aspinall.

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Pereira, however, lost to Ankalaev at UFC 313, and Jones never fulfilled his promise, retiring without facing Aspinall last year after significant delays. Fans criticized the promotion for the situation, and rightfully so. But the circumstances are entirely different this time.

Hope reignited last month when President Donald Trump, at a public event, announced that the UFC’s June 14 card will feature “8-9” title fights, sending fans into a frenzy. “It’s the biggest fights they’ve ever had; every fight is a championship fight,” Trump said of the White House card.

When President Trump announced the White House event last year, Jon Jones ended his retirement within weeks and confirmed his return. Alex Pereira resubmitted his bid for a spot on the card against Jones after dominating Ankalaev in their rematch and reclaiming his title.

However, despite Joe Rogan giving the green light, Alex Pereira recently shut down his chances of fighting at the UFC White House event without providing a reason, which only increased the importance of Jon Jones appearing on the card.

Only Jon Jones can rescue the UFC White House card

The UFC is organizing the White House event to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of freedom. However, the event loses impact if top American UFC fighters don’t appear on the card. Currently, Kayla Harrison stands as the only American champion in the promotion (although U.S.-born Joshua Van is also an American champion, he represents the Myanmar flag).

Beyond that, no male American fighter looks ready to carry the event. Jon Jones, who in 2024 set the UFC’s Madison Square Garden record at UFC 309 with $16,673,954, second only to UFC 205: McGregor vs. Alvarez, remains the biggest draw. In fact, Daniel Cormier considers Jones the only fighter who can anchor the UFC White House event.

“I believe that doing Jones vs. Pereira, that’s low-hanging fruit,” Daniel Cormier said. “You already got two guys that say, ‘We want to do that.’ Put them out there. It also tries to save you from trying to find an American guy who could either headline or can be close enough to the top of the card that it feels like the card is based around him.”

At the same time, Cormier’s opinion reflects what many analysts are saying. So, what’s your take on this? Do you think Jon Jones will play a crucial role in the success of the upcoming UFC White House event? Share your thoughts below.