Despite his boss publicly shutting down the idea in August, UFC icon Jon Jones is still trying to prove he is worthy of being on the company’s planned card at the White House next year.

“I don’t know,” Jones told USA Today at a UFC press event when asked about being on the planned White House card. “I’m training constantly for the opportunity. My goal is to show Dana [White] how serious I am about being on the event, and I hope he chooses me. Ultimately, it’s in his hands. He’s the boss.”

Jones’s comments came at an event celebrating the promotion’s new billion-dollar media rights deal with Paramount+ that starts in 2026. When the outlet suggested his attendance at the event shows he is in the “good graces” of top decision-makers at the UFC, the former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion agreed it was a good sign.

Why is Jon Jones not expected to be on the UFC White House card?

In the spring, President Donald Trump revealed during a press conference that the UFC producing an event on the grounds of the White House was something being talked about between the administration and the cage fighting promotions.

UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed the idea, and last month proclaimed that an event was indeed official and is being planned out for around Independence Day 2026. It would make sense for the company to put their best and brightest stars on the most historic event in MMA history. Jon Jones would certainly be a great choice for a UFC White House card.

Despite officially retiring in June and relinquishing the heavyweight title, Jones quickly let it be known he would end his retirement for the UFC White House event. However, White shut down the idea in August, claiming there was a “billion-to-one odds” of that happening. The main reason is Jones’ unreliability.

The former two-division champion has had to pull out of huge fights in the past due to legal issues or injuries. However, the MMA icon proved extremely difficult during negotiations to make a unification bout with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. A fight that White said could be the biggest in UFC history. The company boss is likely also still holding a grudge against Jones for not agreeing on the championship bout.

After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos