'How f***ing painful': Jon Jones erupts over Dana White's UFC White House claims in stream of deleted tweets
Jon Jones is pushing back against Dana White's narrative about the UFC's White House event. In a stream of since-deleted tweets, the former two-division UFC champion erupted over White's claims that Jones was "never ever, ever" in consideration to fight on the historic June 14 card at the U.S. capital.
Jones, 38, had long pleaded with the UFC boss for inclusion on the event, but ultimately was left on the outside looking in once the promotion made its UFC White House lineup official Saturday night. Instead, UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defends his belt against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event, while Alex Pereira — who had been previously linked to Jones — challenges for the interim heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in the co-headliner.
That announcement, and White's comments about Jones at UFC 326's post-fight press conference, led to a flood of frustrated and angry late-night posts from the retired MMA legend:
In since deleted tweets, Jon Jones responds to the narrative that he was never in the running to fight on the White House card.
FWIW, Jones is 100% right. They did talk. They did negotiate. They just didn’t close the deal. Not sure why Dana said otherwise yesterday. (Well, I… pic.twitter.com/cgEo9MXZ99
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 8, 2026
“I’m released from the UFC?!!"
"If I would prove him wrong, would I be wrong?
"Or would [being] a bigger man be remaining silent"
"I'll be the fall guy"
"Sure"
"Make this make sense"
“So all of this negotiating was complete bullshit, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?”
“Man, how f*cking painful.”
“Laying in my bed, wrapping my head around this perception. All I can think is how f*cking painful.”
“And then the other half of me’s like, but is it really though?”
When asked about Jones following UFC 326, White stated that never "was Jon Jones even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House."
“First of all, I've told you why I wouldn't do it," White said, pointing back to past comments about Jones being unreliable. "And No. 2, some guy with Meta glasses on filmed him talking about his hips being so bad. I don't know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones retired because of his hips. He's got arthritis in his hips. Apparently, he's been — doctors say he should have hip replacements. That, on top of all the other reasons that I wouldn't, but the Jon Jones thing is bulls***."
“I'm not saying we weren't talking to Jon Jones and that Jon Jones was interested in the fight," White added. "And what's even crazier is Jon Jones came out and was like, 'I'm in negotiations right now for the White House fight,' after I already sent a text to his lawyer saying, 'Never gonna happen, ever.'”
White also noted Saturday night that it was "very fair," in his estimation, to call Jones retired for good.
Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani reported Sunday that Jones and the UFC did indeed negotiate for Jones to be on the card, however the two sides were ultimately unable to come to a deal.
The lineup for UFC's much-ballyhooed White House event, which was repeatedly promised by White and U.S. President Donald Trump over the past year to be one of the greatest cards in UFC history, has been met by a mixed reception, with Jones' absence likely playing a part that reaction.
