Dana White is not going to budge on his stance regarding Jon Jones fighting at the White House – even after a heartfelt private apology.
While the UFC boss has never explicitly stated that Jones refusal to unify the heavyweight division with Tom Aspinall is the reason he is being frozen out of next summer’s super card, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Legendary two-weight champion Jones had verbally agreed to fight Aspinall this year, but in June opted to ‘retire’ from the sport. However, that decision lasted just a matter of days as he returned to training once it was announced by President Donald Trump that the octagon was coming to the White House.
Dana White turns down Jon Jones apology in desperate White House plea
Since the UFC’s White House card was announced this summer, Jon Jones has been vocal about finding a new purpose for competing again. He has even claimed he would fight any opponent, implying that the Aspinall fight would be back on the table.
However, Dana White continues to insist that he wants reliable fighters for the show, which he claims disqualifies Jones. And speaking with Zach Gelb on Sirius XM, the UFC boss explained that the former champion even apologized in a desperate effort to land a spot on the show.
“It wasn’t a conversation,” White said. “He reached out, he wrote, like, a text saying ‘listen, sorry how this all played out’ or whatever. ‘I want to fight at the White House, I’m serious about that’.”
When Gelb asked if it had changed his stance on the issue, White quickly replied: “No. I appreciate it, I appreciate him reaching out and doing that. But I need people I can count on for this fight. I know who they are and I know who they are not.”
Conor McGregor’s UFC return is on the radar for White House show
While fans may be disappointed to learn they’re not getting a Jon Jones return next summer, they can still look forward to another legend potentially returning.
Despite pulling out of his last scheduled fight and being out of action for four years, White is confident in Conor McGregor being reliable enough for consideration, telling the Wade Concept: “[Jon Jones] is the greatest of all time, I still know that to be a fact.
“But he’s not the greatest of all time ‘guy you can count on that you know 100 per cent is going to be solid and be there’. Say what you want about Conor McGregor because people like to talk s— about that too, but he is that guy.
“He’s always been that guy, I’ve been in the room and on the phone with him. There are a lot of guys who talk tough publicly but behind the scenes it’s a whole other ball game. When the s— hits the fan who’s really willing to go out there? Conor McGregor has always been that guy.”