Jon Jones’s relationship with Dana White & Co. has been on edge after the UFC White House fallout. For Jones, the historic event is of utmost value as he even announced coming out of retirement for it. But despite that, he couldn’t manage to get a spot on the card. While Jones is disappointed with the UFC, a Russian insider blames the former heavyweight champion for it.

‘Bones’ was reportedly in negotiations to fight on the UFC White House card. However, according to the head honcho, Jones was never on their mind for the historic event, which is a contradictory statement. And for that, the former UFC heavyweight champion demanded his release from the leading MMA promotion. But will the UFC grant Jones that wish? Russian promoter Kamil Gadzhiev believes otherwise.

Gadzhiev blames Jon Jones while weighing UFC future

“Personally, I think Jones is truly finished as a fighter,” said Kamil Gadzhiev on his YouTube channel. “I’ve been saying this for a long time because we see him either in crime reports or in funny reports or… so on and so forth. We would like to see him fight, but if Jones doesn’t fight, it’s his own fault… But overall, he shouldn’t blame the UFC. Doping scandals, scandals with law enforcement, a disregard for his career, and the fans. I think Jon is to blame himself.

So the UFC isn’t particularly to blame for the fact that, yes, somewhere, he probably got greedy, I agree, and he says it’s over… But Dana, as his longtime employer, probably has the right to say something… On the other hand, he’s probably doing well. Many consider him the greatest. He truly is… Let Jon Jones go now. In three months, he’ll be on the card of a Netflix event. Everyone understands this perfectly well, which is why the UFC won’t let him go anywhere.”

When it comes to controversial activities, Jon Jones does have a history in that. Over the years, he has been caught and accused of doping violations, domestic violence, driving under the influence (DUI), and even a felony hit-and-run case. And surely, these activities have somewhat diminished his stature in the combat sports community.

Inaugural UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, in particular, does not even name ‘Bones’ in the greatest of all time conversations for his history of PED usage. As such, for his UFC 214 bout against Daniel Cormier, Jones tested positive for a banned substance. And these controversial acts have ultimately taken a toll on his reputation.

But for the UFC and Dana White, the reason behind Jones missing out on the White House card could be his lack of accountability. As such, White often expressed his displeasure with how ‘Bones’ backed out of Tom Aspinall’s fight in 2025, even after having an agreement.

And due to this, the UFC CEO, who once regarded Jones as one of the best fighters in the world, allegedly didn’t even consider booking him for the White House event.

However, despite that fueling the rift between White and Jones, Gadzhiev believes that the leading MMA promotion wouldn’t grant the former heavyweight champion his release. But why? To answer that, one of Jones’ former rivals has shared his two cents.

Daniel Cormier asserts UFC won’t release Jones

Jon Jones is arguably one of the standout fighters. Although this comes amidst Jones’ controversial past, his record (28-1-0, 1 NC) and performances still give him that edge in the eyes of many. Daniel Cormier, who once had a buzzing rivalry with ‘Bones’, knows his stature as a fighter.

As such, Jones is still a lucrative draw in any MMA promotion’s eyes. And the current heavyweight scenario doesn’t have many standout fighters like the former UFC champion. Hence, despite Jones’ plea for release, Cormier believes the leading MMA promotion won’t fulfill that wish.

“He is not getting released,” said Cormier on Funky and the Champ show alongside Ben Askren. “I think it is zero percent [chance] he gets released. There is no way you can release Jones because then if Jones and Francis [Ngannou] can be made outside of the UFC, that’s you giving someone power. You can’t let him go. There is no way that he can actually fight anywhere else or be released.”

Notably, a fight between Jones and Francis Ngannou has always been one of the most talked-about topics in the MMA community. When they were in the UFC, there were talks of a bout between them, but Ngannou left the promotion. However, just last year, the discussions arose again when ‘The Predator’ became the PFL Super Fights heavyweight champion.

As such, potentially setting up a promotion vs. promotion super fight. But the bout never came into fruition. Despite that, such a stipulation surely excites fans and garners maximum attention. And for that, UFC may not release Jones. On that note, what do you think about this situation? Let us know in the comments below!