Latest news with #JonJones
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Khabib Nurmagomedov clarifies opinion on Jon Jones with admission about UFC legend's ‘character'
Khabib Nurmagomedov has clarified his opinion on Jon Jones, after some UFC fans expressed surprise about the Russian deeming the American the 'best who ever did it'. Jones recently retired from mixed martial arts, vacating the UFC heavyweight title and ending a career full of accolades but also marred by controversy. The 38-year-old is the consensus greatest light-heavyweight in UFC history, but his subsequent heavyweight run disappointed – despite his title win – and his career on the whole was affected by numerous failed drug tests and run-ins with the law. Still, when Jones announced his retirement in June, former UFC champion Khabib paid his respects, calling 'Bones' the 'best who ever did it in UFC history'. Now, in an interview with Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov has clarified his opinion on Jones, after some fans took exception to the lightweight legend's comments. 'In the UFC, achievements and legacy are different things,' Nurmagomedov told Zubayraev in Russian, with a translation provided by Red Corner MMA. 'I think a lot of people confuse those two concepts. As far as achievements go, no one can compare to Jon Jones in the UFC right now, and it'll be very hard for anyone in the near future. 'So, what is legacy? It's, let's say... Kids, they look at you, and they feel inspired by you. That's what legacy means: when a kid sees you and thinks, 'I want to be like him.' 'There have always been – and always will be – questions about his behaviour, his character and so on. As a fighter, he's the best, and when it comes to personal qualities, there will always be questions. 'As an athlete, he reached greatness, and as someone who fought in the UFC, he has no equal. What Jon Jones has achieved over the past 17 years in the UFC, it's really hard to compare anyone to him. I don't know why people reacted the way they did. As a fighter, I never had questions about him.' In 2023, Jones returned to the UFC after a three-year hiatus, moving up to heavyweight and winning the vacant title by submitting Ciryl Gane. An injury delayed his first title defence, however, with Jones only returning to action in November 2024 to stop a 42-year-old Stipe Miocic. All the while, Britain's Tom Aspinall won the interim title and even defended it successfully, but Jones refused to fight the 32-year-old. Ultimately, Aspinall was elevated to regular champion when Jones retired. And Khabib hinted that a fight against Aspinall might have been too tough a test for Jones. 'How many fights has he had in the past? One or two in five years,' said the Russian, 36. 'He's been done for a while, and even those last fights, Santos and Reyes, they were controversial. His prime was clearly behind him. His prime was long past.' Nurmagomedov was referring to Jones's final two fights at light-heavyweight: controversial decision wins over Thiago Santos in 2019 and Dominick Reyes in 2020. After beating Reyes, Jones gave up the light-heavyweight title and took three years off from MMA to get his body ready for a long-awaited heavyweight run. In the meantime, Francis Ngannou established himself as the best heavyweight in the world, with fans desperate to see Jones face the Cameroonian. However, Ngannou left the UFC and relinquished the heavyweight belt amid a pay dispute, before Jones returned and won the vacant gold. US President Donald Trump recently suggested he could host a UFC event at the White House in 2026, to celebrate 250 years of American independence, leading Jones to claim he has unretired. However, UFC chief Dana White said: 'I can't risk putting [Jones] in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially [at] the White House.' Jones responded by writing on social media: 'I heard the comments made at last night's press conference. While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next.' Jones, who recently said he had not trained since fighting Miocic in November, added: 'In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! 'The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it's never been just about the opponent. I'm chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment. So for now, I'll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Dana White embroiled in feud with UFC fighter Jon Jones over Donald Trump's White House card
UFC chief Dana White has found himself embroiled in a feud with iconic fighter Jon Jones over his desire to fight at Donald Trump's White House card. The president revealed earlier this month that he planned to host a fight card on July 4 next year to celebrate the United States' 250th birthday. And Jones has seemingly reversed his June retirement following that announcement, as he expressed his interest in fighting on the White House lawn and told TMZ that he had a 'strong feeling' he'd be participating. The fighter made no secret of his positive feelings toward Trump in November, when he handed the president his heavyweight title belt following his win over Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden. On Saturday, though, White firmly poured cold water on the idea that Jones would be fighting at the White House next summer. 'It's not even about him winning the belt,' White told reporters at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference. 'You know how I felt about him. I just can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House card.' Jones, 38, vacated the heavyweight title belt in June when he suddenly retired before a planned future fight against Tom Aspinall. And the legendary fighter, who has missed other fights due to legal issues and drug suspensions, said on Sunday that he was 'disappointed' with White's remarks. 'I heard the comments made at last night's press conference. While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next,' Jones wrote on X. 'In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! 'The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it's never been just about the opponent. I'm chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment,' he continued. 'So for now, I'll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th.' In separate posts, Jones said that he likely wouldn't fight again if it wasn't on the White House card, but called it 'understandable' that White would have his reservations about selecting him for the event. Trump sat ringside at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden last year and met Jones In 2016, Jones was pulled off the UFC 200 card after testing positive for clomiphene and letrozole (resulting in a year suspension), and he also received a 15-month ban the following year after testing positive for an anabolic steroid. Jones has also had a litany of legal issues, including a hit-and-run arrest in 2015, while his rejection of a short-notice fight against Chael Sonnen in 2012 resulted in the cancellation of UFC 151 (his scheduled opponent, Dan Henderson, pulled out with an injury towards the end of Jones' training). In that instance, White blasted Jones publicly and said it was 'one of the most selfish, disgusting decisions that doesn't just affect you. 'This is affecting 16 other lives, their families, kids are going back to school. The list goes on and on of all the things, the money that was spent for fighters to train and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I don't think this is going to make Jon Jones popular with the fans, sponsors, cable distributors, television network executives or other fighters,' White said. Nonetheless, White called Jones 'pound-for-pound best fighter in the world' after his fight in November, and it certainly sounds like he'll be staying ready should his boss change his mind with regards to July 4, 2026.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Dana White Won't Risk Jon Jones Headlining UFC White House Event
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 12: U.S. President Donald Trump attends the UFC 314 event alongside UFC ... More President and CEO Dana White at Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Jon Jones's brief retirement from the UFC ended when he learned that the UFC might hold a fight card on the grounds of the White House. Jones's hopes of competing on that card were dashed on Saturday at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference when UFC Dana White told Jones, thanks, but no thanks. "I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong," White said after Saturday's UFC 318. "Especially the White House card." Not long after hearing White's comments, Jones expressed disappointment on social media, but said he was going to continue to train for a UFC fight. "I heard the comments made at last night's press conference. While I was a little disappointed, I'm still in the UFC's drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I'll be ready for whatever comes next. "In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a 'why' that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! "The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart. They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it's never been just about the opponent. I'm chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment. 'So for now, I'll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I'm ready to fight on July 4th. #IndependenceDay' Jones announced his retirement in June. "Jon Jones called us last night and retired. Jon Jones is officially retired. Tom Aspinall is the heavyweight champion of the UFC," White said during the post-fight press conference following the June 21 2025 UFC Baku fight card. "I obviously feel bad for Tom that he lost all that time and money, but we'll make it up to him," White added. "Tom Aspinall is a good guy. He's been incredible through this whole process that we've gone through. He's been willing to do anything – fight him anywhere at any time and do this. Now he's like, 'I'll fight anybody. Tell me who and I'll fight him.' Aspinall has been great. He's going to be a great heavyweight champion for us and I'm excited to work with him." On that same night, news broke that Jones had been charged in Albuquerque on a misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident in February. In July, authorities added the charge of 'Use of Telephone to Terrify, Intimidate, Threaten, Harass, Annoy or Offend,' related to that incident. This is not the first time White has expressed reluctance in using Jones in a UFC main event. 'I don't (trust him), no. I don't. In my opinion, I would never take the risk of headlining a show with Jon Jones again," White said in 2016. "I'd put him on the card, but I wouldn't headline with him until he consistently gets back on track. Millions of dollars are spent on this. For a card to fall apart, and how many cards have fallen apart because Jon Jones gets in trouble for something? So no, I'm not at that place with him.' The UFC booked Jones in seven main events after White made those claims.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dana White 'can't risk' Jon Jones being involved in UFC's potential White House event
UFC's White House event concept has been the talk of MMA since U.S. president Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White revealed intentions to make it a reality in 2026. Several big-named fighters have proclaimed their desires to be part of the event, including the recently retired all-time great Jon Jones. The ongoing saga between Jones and the previously hostaged heavyweight title ended with Jones' surprise retirement two weeks ago at UFC Baku's post-fight press conference. However, Jones has since claimed he's already enrolled back in the UFC's drug-testing pool and is ready and willing to fight at the White House event. Thanks to his checkered past outside the Octagon — Jones is currently facing a new criminal charge among a long line of many — the former two-division champion has proven to be unreliable at times on the UFC's biggest platforms. That's why White isn't sold on the idea of Jones being a part of the action. "I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong, especially the White House," White said of Jones at UFC 318's post-fight press conference. UFC's potential White House trip has remained a fixture of any public conversation White is a part of since the news broke. While it may be too soon to imagine what the fight lineup could actually look like, White knows he'll have to make preparations far earlier than usual because of the event's unique challenge. That being said, he's adamant the Las Vegas Sphere is still more difficult to set up for a fight night, as the UFC did with its Emmy award-winning show this past October at UFC 306. "That fight's a year away, so I'm not even thinking about anything right now," White said. "The landscape will change so much by next Fourth of July. Who knows what's going to happen? Who knows what's going to be on the card or what the main event will be, or who holds all the titles? Everything could be completely different. It's not even worth thinking about right now. "I have other problems. I'm dealing with the logistics and all the things on figuring out how to make this thing happen. How do we want to do it? I'm going to fly out there in about 10 days, and we'll have all the renderings done, sit down with [Trump] and go through the renderings, and see what he wants to do and doesn't want to do. "The difference with the White House is I don't think they've ever had anything very heavy out on the lawn, and the Octagon alone weighs 20,000 pounds."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Jon Jones Doubles Down on Intentions to Fight on Historic UFC White House Card
Images via Imagn: Donald Trump and Jon Jones At the UFC Baku post-fight presser, Dana White confirmed that Jon Jones was finally hanging up his gloves after an illustrious career. This announcement came amid the long wait for Jones to unify the heavyweight title against Tom Aspinall, who held the interim gold since UFC 295. However, 'Bones' didn't see the merit in fighting a young and hungry Englishman and announced his retirement a day after the UFC head honcho made it official. However, it seems that Jones is once again eager to come back and resume his hunt to be the best. This change of heart has arisen due to Donald Trump 's announcement of the UFC holding a card on the lawns of the White House on America's 250th birthday in 2026. Moreover, even White confirmed that the event will go down on 4th July next year. Jon Jones Is Confident of Main Eventing the UFC White House Card Next Year Just 13 days after announcing his retirement, Jones declared that he has re-entered the drug testing pool to appear on the historic card. And in a conversation with TMZ earlier this week, 'Bones' reaffirmed his intention of fighting for the pride of America. 'That's the goal. We haven't had a conversation about it, but I have a very strong feeling that I'll be fighting that night, for sure.' This isn't the first time this week that the former heavyweight champion has expressed his intention to return to the Octagon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo Jon Jones Confident He'll Fight At Trump's White House UFC Event, 'Strong Feeling' | TMZ Sports In a conversation with Joy of Everything's Joe Andaloro, Jones said that he would be ready to take on the reigning heavyweight king by the time the UFC White House card rolls around. He even teased a showdown with Aspinall if he held the strap at the time of the event. And finally, Jones once again doubled down on returning at the ESPY's red carpet event. However, it seems that the UFC President is not keen on watching his crown jewel return to the cage. Dana White Is Not on Board for Jon Jones to Return to the UFC White House Event UFC 318 proved to be the final fight of Dustin Poirier's career. However, the post-fight presser saw the conversation shift to Jones fighting at UFC White House, slated to take place on 4th July 2026. When asked about the prospect of the former heavyweight champion appearing on the card, White said something surprising. 'It's not even about him winning the belt. You know how I felt about him. You know I can't risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong – especially the White House card." This hesitancy stems from the fact that Jones was responsible for ruining perhaps the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history when he didn't fight Aspinall. Moreover, he has a history of pulling out of major cards like the UFC 200 showdown with Daniel Cormier just days before the event. White is currently focused on discussing the logistics and arrangements for the card rather than the actual fights on it. Also read: UFC 318 Main Match Card Highlights and Results: Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier, Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov and More Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
