Jon Jones continues to tease a return to action at UFC White House in 2026

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Jon Jones | Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Jon Jones continues to insist he’s already done with his retirement.

In June, Jones retired from MMA, vacating the heavyweight title and ending his storied career. But just a few weeks later, President Donald Trump announced that on July 4, 2026, the White House will host a special UFC event, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That drew immediate interest from a number of fighters, including Jones, who quickly declared he had re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool and would end his short-lived retirement. And Jones insists this isn’t just talk.

In a series of posts on social media on Thursday, Jones answered questions about his comeback, saying that a show at the White House was the sort of hook he needed to want to fight again, motivation that Tom Aspinall alone didn’t provide.

“Donald made his announcement on the morning of the Fourth of July, I called the UFC headquarters that very same afternoon. I’ll just leave it at that. America! Now that tickles my pickle.”

“It would be, for me it’s about the opportunity to represent America at the White House. I don’t care who I fight that night. I found my reason why, that’s what I needed, something that was more than money.”

Jones also responded to accusations that he was ducking Tom Aspinall, completely rejecting the idea by saying he simply was choosing when and where to fight him.

“Choosing when to attack and where you want the battlefield to be is not ducking my friend.”

And despite his tease of a return, Jones also left the door open for him to not come back, saying he can’t predict the future.

“Who knows what the future holds, but the moment I heard Donald Trump‘s announcement, I started training again.”

“You know, man if it doesn’t happen, one thing about me is I’m always gonna find the good in every situation. I’m a very optimistic man. If I don’t end up fighting at least I’ll spend my first year of retirement still in the gym.”

And, as always, Jones made sure to put himself over.

“As of today, I was the last American champion. I was also the longest reigning champion this sport has ever seen. I was the youngest this sport has ever seen. I’ve beaten more champions than this sport has ever seen.

“When kids do homework assignments about the greatest fighter in MMA history, they’ll be writing their report about an American.

“Just sit with that.”

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