The fight game has become ugly! And the latest feud is something that many people wouldn’t have ever imagined. As such, Jon Jones, who always shared a strong camaraderie with Dana White, had publicly campaigned for a spot on the UFC’s historic White House card for months. So when White claimed he was never even considered, the former champion didn’t just disagree; he publicly questioned the UFC CEO’s honesty.

The reason for this is the UFC White House event. Since it was announced, ‘Bones’ stated his desire to fight on that card. Many believed he would be included, especially as he frequently hinted at being in negotiations leading up to the official card announcement. However, not only was Jones not booked for the event, but White also stated that he never considered the former UFC heavyweight champion as an option for this historic event. This contradiction upset Jones, as he seemed visibly frustrated.

Jones on Dana White’s comments

“So, all of this negotiating was complete bullsh*t, is that what you want me to agree publicly?” wrote Jon Jones in a now-deleted post on X.

Now, Jones took his retirement from the sport back in June 2025. But for the UFC White House event, he wanted to return. Alex Pereira was one of the possible options to face him at the historic event. Now, even though Jones teased being in negotiations about that particular fight, Dana White was quite clear on his stance regarding the former UFC heavyweight champion for this event.

As such, White was always like he didn’t trust Jones to headline the UFC White House card. One of the reasons for that was how the former heavyweight champion backed out of a confirmed bout against Tom Aspinall.

Notably, to make amends for that, Jones also publicly apologized and urged the UFC CEO to place some trust in him for the White House card. However, that seems like a far-fetched dream now as the promotion announced the final card for the historic event.

With just six bouts on the card, the event is set to go down on the south lawn of the White House on June 14. The lightweight title unification fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje will be the headliner, and Alex Pereira’s bout against Ciryl Gane in the co-main event is set to be for the interim UFC heavyweight title.

Apart from that, in the undercard, Sean O’Malley will scrap against Aiemann Zahabi. Elsewhere, Mauricio Ruffy and Michael Chandler will also fight in a lightweight bout. Meanwhile, Bo Nickal is set to return in a fight against Kyle Daukaus. And lastly, Diego Lopes will open the card, facing Steve Garcia.

While Jones was speculated to fight Pereira that night, now Gane will take his place. But what could have been the reason behind the potential failed negotiations? According to an MMA insider, it’s monetary demands!

Ariel Helwani claims ‘Bones’ rejected UFC White House offer

Jon Jones has been hard to negotiate at the later stage of his career, and that’s a fact. Take the negotiations during his potential title unification fight against Tom Aspinall as an example. Jones demanded a hefty amount for that bout, which was not easy to fulfill.

Due to that, the fight never came to fruition. According to MMA journalist and insider, Ariel Helwani, it was a similar scenario during the negotiations for the UFC White House card.

“I’ll tell you this, they did seriously try to have Jon Jones on this card, and they couldn’t get to the number,” said Helwani on Uncrowned.

Now, two different perspectives have complicated the understanding of the situation. While White states there were no negotiations, ‘Bones’ and Helwani claim and believe otherwise. But given the MMA journalist’s reputation on these matters, surely he won’t state anything out of the blue.

Now, the actual buzz can be anything among those; the underlying is that Jones is not returning to fight at the White House card. That said, it will be interesting to see whether ‘Bones’ would still want to come out of his retirement. If so, who do you think Jones will fight against? Let us know in the comments below!