Jon Jones Asks Dana White to Release Him from UFC Roster After White House Event Controversy

UFC veteran Jon Jones took to social media to address his future in the UFC following recent retirement comments from Dana White.

Jon Jones Asks Dana White to Release Him from UFC Roster After White House Event Controversy

Jon Jones sends his ultimatum to UFC (via X)

Following the announcement of the UFC White House event, controversies and debates have rapidly intensified across the MMA community. One major discussion revolves around former two-division champion Jon Jones and his current complicated relationship with UFC. Meanwhile, Dana White openly addressed the situation publicly, sharing blunt opinions that immediately made headlines.

One of the most anticipated fights fans wanted for the White House event was the heavyweight clash between Jones and Alex Pereira. Instead, the announcement saw Pereira fighting with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship. During the recent Zuffa Boxing press conference, White was asked about UFC’s negotiations with Jones.

According to Dana White, the UFC held discussions with Jon Jones regarding the planned White House event. The Bossman explained the promotion ultimately decided against including Jones on the historic card due to ongoing concerns surrounding the fighter’s health.

The CEO highlighted that Jones is dealing with severe arthritis issues, which could seriously impact his ability to compete safely. Because of those medical concerns, White suggested that Jones should strongly consider stepping away from competition instead of continuing to fight. Those comments immediately created controversy across the MMA community and sparked intense debate among fans.

As expected, the statements did not sit well with Jones, who responded strongly through several emotional and unfiltered posts. The former heavyweight champion also hosted an Instagram live session where he openly discussed his frustrations with the promotion’s recent stance.

During the session, Jones repeatedly stated that he felt extremely angry and disrespected by the way the situation was handled publicly. Shortly afterward, Jones posted a lengthy message on X where he addressed the controversy and directly challenged the promotion leadership. In that message, Jones delivered what he described as a final ultimatum regarding his future relationship with the UFC.

Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. After everything I’ve given to the UFC , the years, the title defenses, the fights , hearing that I’m “done” is disappointing…If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today.

Jon Jones via X

Jones mentioned that during the negotiations, he was not satisfied with the pay, and hence it fell through, but he didn’t expect White to make such claims. The veteran recently underwent stem cell surgery to be active for the White House event. Following all this, Jones has received major support from fans, including from his old rival.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall backs Jon Jones following the recent controversy with the company

Jon Jones has been in the UFC for a long time and has been part of some of the biggest fights in history. The youngest ever UFC champion is regarded as one of GOATS and Dana White always appreciated his skills. 

Jon Jones in his last UFC outing
Jon Jones in his last UFC outing (via X)

However, throughout history, Jones has had a complicated relationship with the UFC top brass. Following the incident, Tom Aspinall also took the opportunity to speak about Jones and shared his concern for the veteran. 

This is probably going to sound crazy to a lot of people listening, but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially? That’s crazy to me. If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff he’s done and that’s me saying that.

Tom Aspinall via The Ariel Helwani Show 

Last year, Aspinall had a massive beef with Jon Jones, and both were supposed to fight each other in a heavyweight title unification bout. However, the fight didn’t happen as Jones pulled out and vacated the belt. On top of that, Aspinall himself currently has a strained relationship with UFC, and things are complicated.

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