Jon Jones Demands UFC Release as White House Fight Feud Escalates
The bitter feud between former UFC champion Jon Jones and promotion president Dana White has intensified dramatically, with Jones now demanding his release from the UFC contract. This follows conflicting accounts about negotiations for the unprecedented White House fight card scheduled for 14 June.
Conflicting Accounts Over White House Negotiations
After the UFC announced its historic White House event, Dana White insisted Jon Jones was never "remotely in my mind" to feature on the card. White cited Jones's hip arthritis and a viral video showing the fighter struggling during a flag football game as reasons for his exclusion.
"The Jon Jones thing was bulls***," White stated bluntly. "I'm not saying we weren't talking to Jon Jones and Jon Jones wasn't interested in the fight, but what was even crazier was: Jon Jones came out and was like, 'I'm in negotiations right now for the White House fight,' after I sent a text to his lawyer saying 'never gonna happen, ever'."
White went further, suggesting it was fair to consider Jones retired from competition.
Jones's Passionate Response and Contract Demand
In response, the 38-year-old former heavyweight and light-heavyweight champion posted a detailed statement on X, directly addressing White's comments. Jones claimed his team had been engaged in "real negotiations" for the White House fight, during which he reduced his original asking price only to receive what he described as a "lowball offer."
"Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it's painful, but that doesn't mean I can't fight," Jones wrote. "So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I'd be on the White House card? That doesn't make sense."
Jones revealed he had received stem cell treatment the previous week specifically to prepare for the White House event and had a training camp scheduled to begin. The fighter expressed deep disappointment at being labeled "done" by the UFC after his years of service and multiple title defenses.
His statement concluded with a direct demand: "If the UFC truly feels like I'm done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today. No more spins, no more games."
Surprising Support from Rival Tom Aspinall
In an unexpected twist, Jones received support from British heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, despite their contentious history. Jones had stalled Aspinall's career by refusing to defend the heavyweight title against him during his reign, despite Aspinall holding the interim belt for 20 months.
"This is probably going to be crazy to a lot of people listening," Aspinall said on The Ariel Helwani Show, "but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially? That's crazy to me. If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff that he's done – and that's me saying that, after the history that I've had with Jon Jones."
Aspinall referenced reports that Jones had refused a $30 million fee to fight him in 2025, questioning why similar offers weren't being made for the White House event. "Those guys who we're talking about – Conor McGregor and Jon Jones, and guys like that – those are the guys who've brought in the revenue for over 10 years," Aspinall argued. "They need to be getting paid what they deserve."
White House Card and Heavyweight Developments
With Jones excluded from the White House event and Aspinall recovering from an eye injury sustained during his October fight with Ciryl Gane, the UFC has booked Alex Pereira versus Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on the historic card.
Pereira, who recently vacated the light-heavyweight belt, now aims to become the UFC's first-ever three-weight champion by defeating Gane. Meanwhile, Aspinall made headlines last week by signing with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn through Matchroom's new talent agency, adding another layer to the complex relationship dynamics within combat sports promotion.
The public feud between Jones and White represents one of the most significant contract disputes in recent UFC history, with implications for fighter compensation, promotional relationships, and the future of one of the sport's most accomplished competitors.
