Dana White: Jon Jones Was Never Going to Headline UFC White House Card, Retirement Talk Intensifies

Las Vegas – UFC CEO Dana White left no room for interpretation when asked whether Jon Jones was ever in consideration to headline the promotion’s historic White House card: “Never, ever, ever.” Speaking after UFC 326, White reiterated that the former two-division champion was never a viable option for the 5 July event, despite public claims from Jones that negotiations were underway.

The slot ultimately went to a lightweight title-unification bout between reigning champion Ilia Topuria and interim title-holder Justin Gaethje. White said persistent reliability issues and Jones’s deteriorating hip health made the 37-year-old an impossible sell for an occasion he views as among the most significant in UFC history.

“First of all, I’ve told you why I wouldn’t do it,” White said, referencing past withdrawals and delays that have plagued Jones’s recent career. “No. 2, some guy with Meta glasses on filmed him talking about his hips, that his hips are so bad … doctors say he should have hip replacements.”

Jones, who captured the heavyweight belt in March 2023 before vacating it amid injury complications, announced his retirement earlier this year when the promotion attempted to book him against interim champion Tom Aspinall. He briefly reopened the door to a comeback in hopes of securing the White House main event, but White shut that possibility down with a blunt text message to Jones’s attorney: “Never going to happen, ever.”

Although both Jones and current two-division title-holder Alex Pereira expressed interest in facing each other, White insists the pairing never advanced past casual discussion. “I’m not saying they weren’t talking to Jon Jones and Jon Jones wasn’t interested in the fight,” he clarified. “I’m saying when it came to the White House card, he was never in the conversation.”

With the historic card now official and Jones absent from the lineup, White believes the future is clear. “Yes, very fair [to say he’s retired],” White concluded. Jones has yet to respond publicly, and no formal retirement announcement has surfaced since the White House bout sheet was revealed.