Just when the world was buzzing for a Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall showdown, ‘Bones’ threw everyone a curveball, announcing his sudden retirement and vacating the title. And when the dust started settling, he stirred the pot… again. “Just re-entered the testing pool,” Jones revealed. “That lasted about two weeks. Figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.” Now, with the White House card taking shape, the former heavyweight king is eyeing a grand return, and guess what? He is already trading heat.

After all, he retired at a time when UFC CEO Dana White was planning a heavyweight title unification bout against Aspinall. And now, he is in no mood to give ‘Bones’ a chance to fight on this crucial White House card. While White may change his stance eventually, because having Jones on such a card would be great for business but it also seems like the CEO’s indifference, for now, has trickled down to fighters too. Here’s what happened:

Jon Jones was in Moscow as a guest at a Russian bare-knuckle event, and that’s where he crossed paths with Sergei Pavlovich, who simply shrugged him off. Just as Jones attempted to shake Pavlovich’s hand, he was ignored, as Pavlovich instead extended his hand to another individual. The moment was quite awkward for Jon Jones, who simply laughed it off, but it could certainly fuel a potential rivalry if Jones ever makes a comeback to the heavyweight division.

In fact, Pavlovich shared a clip of the incident on X and captioned it: “Glad to meet you in Moscow.”

Jones and Pavlovich never fought in the octagon, but back in 2023, there were rumors about the UFC planning Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jones. Both Brendan Schaub and Chael Sonnen also heard such whispers. “I’m hearing strong rumors that Stipe and Jones is going to go up in flames and that Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jones is happening in August,” Sonnen had shared. However, they proved to be just speculations, but we wonder if their recent incident could be the start of a new rivalry. However, more than that, ‘Bones’ will try his best to be a part of the White House card. What does Dana White have to say about that?

Dana White gives a brutal verdict to Jon Jones…

The constant delay in fighting Tom Aspinall might have cost Jon Jones his spot on the UFC White House card. Dana White is in no mood to include Jones in the coveted event, at least not while he’s disagreeing with what Jones has to say. Talking to the media, White stated, “You know how I felt about him. I just can’t risk putting him in big positions, in a big spot, and have something go wrong, especially the White House card.”

The card is expected to take place in July 2026, and White isn’t making any promises to feature Jones. “That fight’s a year away. So I’m not thinking about anything right now. The landscape will change so much by next 4th of July, who knows what’s going to happen. Who knows who’s going to be on the card. What the main event will be or who will hold all the titles. Everything could be completely different so it’s not even worth thinking about it right now.”

But things might change if Jones agrees to clash with Tom Aspinall. So the fighter might be waiting for a call from the promotion. “In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a ‘why’ that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart.” Jones wrote on X.

“So for now, I’ll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I’m ready to fight on July 4th.” With his eyes set on the White House card, Jon Jones remains stubborn about fighting on the grand stage. Do you think he will get the rare opportunity of fighting at the White House?