If it were up to UFC CEO Dana White, making a massive announcement regarding a possible Jon Jones fight at the White House next year is not just unlikely, it’s astronomical.<\/p>\n
White was in a fiery mood come Saturday night as it transitioned to Sunday morning upon speaking to reporters at the UFC 319 post-fight presser. When it came to the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, though, White didn’t hold back and addressed whether he has spoken to Jones along with whether the pair have talked in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me ask you, what do you think Jon would do in the next couple of months that would make me trust putting him on the White House card?\u201d White said. “So I already said that I don\u2019t trust him, and you\u2019re asking me what could he do for me to trust him in the next three months? You don\u2019t trust him. I don\u2019t talk to him either.”<\/p>\n
White, like the gambler he is accustomed to being, put on his oddsmaker hat. The room gasped as White may have delivered the blow to kill all hope of a spectacle-type return between Jones and Tom Aspinall, or whoever the champion is by that point.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mar 4, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC president Dana White (left) greets fighter Jon Jones during a press conference prior to weigh-ins for UFC 196 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images \/ Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
“I haven\u2019t talked to him at all,” White said. “If I had to make odds, it\u2019s a billion-to-one that I put Jon Jones on the White House card.\u201d<\/p>\n
White’s stance is oddly similar to the one he gave Jim Rome earlier in the week <\/a>about Jones when asked to predict if he or former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor could make a return to action next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI trust Conor,\u201d White said. “Conor McGregor has never, ever \u2014 unless he is seriously injured \u2014 this guy has always delivered. Jon, I\u2019m a little more skeptical about.\u201d<\/p>\n Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Dana White (left) during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images \/ Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n White said the logistics of the White House event will begin to take shape upon meeting with President Donald Trump in 11 days in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n \u201cThat meeting\u2019s going to happen actually the 28th of this month,” White said. “I don\u2019t even start thinking about who is going to fight at the White House until after January.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, White and the UFC have enough on their plates to worry about. From a constant travel schedule to crowning new champions, White said he is focused on immediacy rather than rushing to make rash decisions about hypothetical, uncharacteristic scenarios.<\/p>\n But, of course, anything is possible.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC 319 fighter owns one of the most devastating knockouts in MMA history<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC Champion Kayla Harrison could face the winner of this massive fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Earlier UFC start times for events coming soon?<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Dana White gives vague update on UFC fighter salary with new TV deal announcement<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n