Jon Jones makes comeback stance clear as he provides UFC White House card update
Jon Jones claims he is training for the UFC White House card despite Dana White shutting down his chances of competing in the event.
The former dual-weight UFC champion hung up his gloves in June, in a move that derailed concrete plans for a heavyweight title defence against Tom Aspinall.
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A few days later, the UFC announced their intention to stage a show at the President's official residence to commemorate 250 years of American independence.
Upon hearing about the plans, Jones reversed his retirement and re-entered the UFC's drug testing pool with a view to headlining the unprecedented bill.
However, White has grown disillusioned with Jones following his withdrawal from the Aspinall fight.
According to reports, Jones accepted terms to face the Mancunian before going back on his word.
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As a result, White isn't willing to risk putting Jones back on the big stage so soon and has set his odds of headlining the White House card at 'a billion to one'.
Despite this, Jones' retirement stance remains the same.
"I'm not retired," he told Denise White at the MTV VMAs.
"I'm actively training five days a week, and I'm in the UFC's drug testing pool."
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Asked whether he'll fight at the White House, he replied: "I don't really know.
"It's kind of out of my control now. I'm training for the event. I'll be ready for the event.
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"That's my goal. That's my intention, but ultimately it's up to the boss."
The event was initially slated to take place on July 4, 2026, but on Friday, it was confirmed that they are now targeting a June date.
Who else could headline the UFC White House card?
While it seems unlikely Jones will get the call to top the bill, Conor McGregor's chances are significantly higher.
The Irishman hasn't competed since November 2021, but he is back in the UFC drug-testing pool and is training hard for a return to the Octagon.
McGregor threw his hat into the ring to headline the historic event earlier this year and received a positive response from White.
'Notorious' shared a screenshot of some DMs he exchanged with his boss, where the MMA mogul insisted that he "loved the idea".