One former UFC champion thinks Jon Jones is experiencing the consequences of his own actions.
It did not take long after Dana White announced Jones’ retirement for the leading UFC GOAT contender to make a U-turn and reveal plans for a comeback.
The former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion was quickly drawn back when Donald Trump announced a UFC White House event in 2026. Jones was among many staking their claim for a spot on the card, with Conor McGregor also targeting the White House for his return.
Unfortunately for ‘Bones’, while plans are in motion for the celebratory event, he does not appear to be a part of it. Ex-UFC champ Robert Whittaker thinks Jones only has himself to blame.
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Robert Whittaker says Jon Jones is paying for his approach to avoiding Tom Aspinall
It did not take long for the UFC president to react to Jones’ return plan for 2026, and he did not have the response that the 38-year-old would have been hoping for.
White rejected Jones’ White House plea, branding the UFC legend too unreliable for such a high-profile occasion.
Reacting to that stance during an episode of his MMArcade Podcast, ex-middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker told Jones he is facing the consequences for how he handled the Tom Aspinall saga this year.
“Jones, I feel like he got ahead of himself,” Whittaker said. “He understands his value and worth to the company, and he really pushed the envelope as far as he could take it.
“That whole length of time of inactivity, and holding up the division, and keeping Aspinall on the sidelines, it was a bit much. Not only that…the way he was acting about it, the way he was saying what he was doing — he was flaunting the power he had.
“I think that’s where he stretched the trust factor with the bosses,” Whittaker added.
Aspinall was left stuck as interim UFC heavyweight champion for over a year while Jones fought Stipe Miocic and then refused to unify the titles.
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Jon Jones’ arch-rival wants Dana White to reverse his UFC White House stance
Plenty have agreed with White’s decision to exclude Jones from the promotion’s planned White House event. One former two-division champion does not, however, and it comes as somewhat of a surprise.
Daniel Cormier shared a heated rivalry with Jones and knows full well the impact of the Rochester native’s unreliability, having been left stranded days before UFC 200 after Jones failed a drug test.
Despite that, though, ‘DC’ would still grant his longtime enemy’s wish to compete at the UFC’s celebration for Independence Day.
“Dana seems more stern in not letting him today than I have ever seen him in regards to Jon Jones,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“And if I’m being completely honest, I don’t know that I agree.
“I think I would let him fight,” Cormier added.