Jon Jones says skipping UFC White House card is a lifelong regret
Jones said contract talks with the UFC broke down before the June event, where Ciryl Gane won the interim heavyweight title he now holds outright after Britain's Tom Aspinall vacated.
Jon Jones has said that his decision not to fight on the UFC's card on the White House South Lawn in June is a regret he will “live with forever”.
That night shaped the heavyweight division Jones left behind. Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira in the co-main event to win the interim title. Gane has since been elevated to undisputed champion after Britain's Tom Aspinall, who is still recovering from eye injuries, was forced to vacate the belt. Justin Gaethje topped the bill, taking the lightweight title from Ilia Topuria.
Jones, a former light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion, retired in summer 2025 and gave up the heavyweight belt. He had angled for a return on the White House card, but said in an interview with Prince St Pizza on Wednesday that talks broke down: “Honestly, there was a little bit of contract negotiation that didn’t go my way.” The 39-year-old called UFC president and CEO Dana White the boss and said the two would not always agree. He said he usually stands by his decisions, but that watching the fighters walk out on the night left him certain he should have been there rather than at home. He added: “It was my decision, I could’ve fought. We just couldn’t come up to an agreement.” Jones had previously admitted turning down $30m to fight Aspinall, who held the interim title while Jones was champion and was elevated to undisputed champion when Jones retired. Aspinall's first defence ended when he could not continue after suffering multiple eye pokes from Gane.
The decision not to face Aspinall was the latest of many controversies in Jones's career, which has included multiple failed drug tests and numerous run-ins with the law.
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