UFC CEO Dana White stated that Jon Jones was never considered for the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, attributing the decision to the fighter's health issues and retirement status. The card, announced during UFC 326, features Ilia Topuria versus Justin Gaethje in the main event and Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main. Jones responded with deleted social media posts questioning the negotiations and his status with the promotion.
The UFC revealed its lineup for the Freedom 250 event on June 14, 2026, set to take place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The main event will see Ilia Topuria defend his undisputed lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje, while the co-main event pits Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship. Additional bouts include fights featuring Sean O'Malley, Michael Chandler, and Bo Nickal, with an estimated 5,000 spectators in attendance.
Jon Jones, the former heavyweight champion who retired in June 2025 after refusing to defend his title against then-interim champion Tom Aspinall, expressed interest in returning for the event. Last month, Jones claimed he was in negotiations with the UFC for a potential fight, possibly against Pereira, and stated he resumed training upon hearing about the White House announcement. However, Dana White dismissed these claims during the UFC 326 post-fight press conference in Las Vegas.
"Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys 100,000 times, was Jon Jones ever remotely in my mind to fight at the White House," White said. He cited Jones's hip arthritis, visible in a flag football game and a video filmed with Meta glasses, noting that doctors recommended hip replacement surgery. White added that he texted Jones's lawyer stating the fight would "never gonna happen, ever," shortly before Jones publicly mentioned negotiations.
Reports from MMA insider Ariel Helwani indicate the UFC attempted to book Jones versus Pereira but could not meet Jones's eight-figure asking price, rumored to be around $15 million, similar to a boxing deal for Connor Benn. This marks the third failed attempt to schedule Jones in a major heavyweight bout, following scrapped fights against Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall.
Jones reacted on X (formerly Twitter) with now-deleted posts, writing, "So all of this negotiating was complete bullshit, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?" and "I’m released from the UFC?!!" He described the situation as "how f*cking painful."
White described Jones as retired, calling it "very fair." Current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, sidelined by an eye injury from his no-contest bout against Gane at UFC 321, has returned to training and is slated to unify the title against the Pereira-Gane winner.
