Jon Jones wants to fight 'whoever's holding the belt' at UFC White House event
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) recently retired as champion, but promptly returned to the UFC's testing pool two weeks later, after president Donald Trump proposed the idea of hosting a UFC event at the White House on July 4, 2026, to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
"... America! Now that tickles my pickle," Jones wrote on X.
Jones downplayed the interim-turned-undisputed champion Tom Aspinall as a credible opponent before announcing his intention to walk away from the sport. Perhaps coincidentally, Jones' retirement came just prior to news breaking of another legal incident, in which Jones is alleged to have fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident.
With Trump and the UFC on board to create what could be an all-time spectacle of an event, Jones has shown more interest in being a part of it.
"I can't promise anyone anything, but I have a very strong feeling that I will be on that card," Jones said in a Joy Of Everything Tik Tok video. "... I think it's going to be incredibly iconic. It's going to be historic. ... It will be as big as 'Thrilla in Manila,' 'The Rumble in the Jungle' – it's up there with that. Essentially, it could be bigger than that."
UFC CEO Dana White has stated that the promotion is in the early stages of planning the event at the White House and intends to present the full plan to Trump soon. White has also stated his dream headliner for the event would be Jones vs. Aspinall for the heavyweight title, should Aspinall still be the titleholder at the time.
Jones, 37, despite showing no interest in fighting Aspinall before, appears eager to take on anyone holding the title at the event.
"I would want to take on whoever's holding the belt at the end of the year," Jones said. "As of right now, the champion is Tom Aspinall, but we'll see who's champion at the end of the year. I feel like it would be only fitting to have an American guy fight for the championship that night. I'd be willing to put it all on the line one more time."
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