So what if the UFC left Jon Jones off the White House card? The former two-division champion isn’t slowing down. The 38-year-old took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal a new partnership with IBA Bare Knuckle—wasting no time getting started, with his first event set to go live on March 28.

“Hello, this is MMA legend Jon ‘Bones’ Jones,” he said in a video he shared on Instagram. “And I’m excited to announce my new partnership as an ambassador for IBA Bare Knuckle. Big thank you to you, Alfredo… My first event with the company is going to be in St. Petersburg [on] March 28th. 

“I’m super excited to see you all there, and let’s have a Hara Showtime,” he added.

Jones also shared a post for the event, which features a six-fight card and confirms his role as the promotion’s permanent co-host. The main event will see former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero face a local fighter, Vagab Vagabov, in a high-profile bare-knuckle fight.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) officially introduced bare-knuckle boxing as a new discipline in May last year, launching its first major event—IBA Bare Knuckle 1—on July 26, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. Since then, the organization has staged two more events in Russia.

Notably, they were previously responsible for overseeing boxing at the Olympic Games. However, the IBA was stripped of its duties by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in June 2023. The decision stemmed from the body’s failure to resolve serious issues. 

The problem included governance, financial transparency, and the integrity of refereeing and judging. Meanwhile, Jones’ announcement came after his back-and-forth with UFC CEO Dana White.

Dana White responds after Jon Jones claims he was offered $15 million for a fight

Jon Jones has been vying for a spot on the White House card against Alex Pereira, scheduled for June 14. However, Dana White has been adamant about excluding the former two-division champion from the card due to a lack of trust. When the card was finally revealed at UFC 326, and Jones wasn’t on it, White claimed Jones was retired due to his arthritis, which qualifies him for hip replacement surgery. 

This didn’t sit well with Jones, who launched a tirade on X against White and the UFC. More recently, however, ‘Bones’ claimed that he was offered $15 million for the fight, half of what he was offered to fight Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title, which he refused to take. Now, Dana White has responded to those claims with frustration.

“Jon Jones was never fighting on the White House card,” White said during the UFC London post-fight press conference. “How many f**king times do I have to say this?… I literally have done two press conferences talking about this. 

He made it clear that the UFC’s matchmakers may have spoken to him so they can present every viable option, but Jones was never in serious consideration. 

“There’s no way in hell I was putting him on the card,” White added. “No matter what the money was… Jon Jones was never going to fight on the White House card.”

Now, Alex Pereira is facing Ciryl Gane on the co-main event of the night for the interim heavyweight title. And the winner could go on to face Tom Aspinall for the full version of the belt. 

It appears Jon Jones has found something to keep himself busy while the UFC moves forward with its White House card in June. But what do you think about his role in the IBA Bare Knuckle?