Jon Jones Potentially Returning for UFC White House Card After Retirement ‘Looks Like Ducking’, Admits UFC Veteran

Ex-UFC heavyweight Jon Jones is usually the biggest glazer of his legacy and all things ‘Jon Jones.’ But ‘Bones’ couldn’t have phased out teases of his return at a worse time possible! With the 47^th POTUS announcing a White House PPV concept card for ‘America 250’, Jones wants in. But will a UFC return bode well just now?

The UFC/MMA sphere went on a roller coaster recently: Ilia Topuria KOed veteran Charles Oliveira in his 155-pound second coming, and is now a two-weight champ! Conor McGregor has wanted to come back right in time as UFC sets up their new TV deal. So many things are happening; there’s even a White House card in the cog for next year. But Jon Jones’ return is no biggie of a surprise take.

Two-time former rival and play-by-play broadcaster Daniel Cormier postulated he’d be back once talks of unifying with Tom Aspinall died down. Just after two weeks of hanging it up, Jones did inform that he would enter the DFSI test pool so that he could log in a ballot fight again as a combatant after 6 months.

Jones really wants to fight at the White House; despite their rivalry, even Cormier has said he’s the one American staple, and a South Lawn ‘America 250‘ PPV hot spot would be the one scenario where he’d even cheer hard for Jones. But there is just no easy way to frame this return, after such an abrupt retirement, without blames for ‘ducking’.

I’m as big a Jon Jones fan as anybody, …I’ve always defended he’s not afraid of Tom, he’s willing to fight anybody. It’s hard to not fall into that narrative here though. To me, fighting at the White House, that doesn’t do it…Maybe Jon looks at it different [White House Fight]. Maybe that got him motivated and sparked his interest enough. But I’ll tell you this looks bad, in my opinion…Respect, Jon, you are a bad m’fer. But this looks like ducking.

Matt Brown on ‘The Fighter vs. The Writer‘ for MMAFighting on SBN

The former heavyweight champ has faced enough fire, on full blast, as it is. Aspinall, the now-default undisputed champ, caused some unholy near-600 days threshold as an interim champ. Fight fans and enthusiasts were quick to point out the Robert Whittaker–Michael Bisping dynamic at the 185-pound mark, where the UK star disregarded and shamed the status of the interim strap he won at UFC 213.

Matt Brown reacts to Jon Jones potentially returning from retirement after Tom Aspinall has already booked a fight:

"Jon, you are a bad mothef*cker. But this looks like ducking."

(🎥 @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/4PDDxfUKdD

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) July 8, 2025

However, Bisping did make a GOAT fight with Georges St-Pierre, making that assessment not on par. Even earlier this week, BJJ icon Crain Jones, who was recently part of Aspinall’s videos and trained with him recently, joined Ariel Helwani.

The journalist made the counterintuitive argument that had Jones retired right after UFC 309, it wouldn’t stretch this far. But 7+ months of dragging it, a rumored PPV monetary compensation dwindling around $12-30 million, the UFC CEO saying brass was down with, and then an abrupt U-Turn is just a bad look.

It is much worse than Bisping taking a GOAT fight against GSP, win or lose. Veteran Matt Brown, much like Helwani, is now of the same opinion. Cormier even went one step further. He has a very unique take on this buddying ‘will he, won’t he’ Jon Jones teases.

Jon Jones’s transformation into a figure akin to Conor McGregor is a concern for old rival Daniel Cormier

On his previous rendition of Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 316 Preview, retired fighter Matt Brown did iterate how Aspinall was the most bankable option right now. 8-1 in the tenure, his only loss comes in the way of a freak injury, and he is, as of yet, a prodigiously undefeated champ.

A massive UK native draw, per statleaders.ufc.com (UFC Record books), Aspinall averages the least bottom position time being dominated, has slick standup, slipping, strike differentials, and numerous first-round KOs. His total UFC competition in his tenure is just around 2 minutes and 2 seconds! It’s the biggest legacy bout that Jon Jones would ever beget.

Brown, Bisping, Cormier, Chael Sonnen, and handful others have also heavily redacted ‘Bones’ from that superstar stripes like McGregor. Unlike ‘The Notorious’, Jones isn’t a big PPV perpetuity royalty merch draw, selling T-shirts, and arenas!

Jones has had two ballot fights in the division in five years! As it is, Jon Jones gets bodied for his long absences, unlawful run-ins, and DUIs outside, and his checkered history so far. On top of that, his recent teases are just that: tit-for-tat teases about ‘heavy being the crown’ and all.

‘DC’, though, has other concerns. For him, who isn’t in active contention or any sort of friction with Jones, contemplates his slipping trajectory like that of McGregor.

Please don’t become what Conor has become in the media. Every time a big story breaks, Conor’s like, ‘I’m back,’ or ‘I’m doing this.’ …Don’t try to make it about you when you voluntarily walked away from this! Conor didn’t voluntarily walk away. Conor got hurt, and he left. He just hasn’t come back. Jones voluntarily said ‘I’m done.’ So now that he’s done, don’t try to make these stories about you

Daniel Cormier via ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ Show (@ESPNMMA) for ESPN2/ ESPNPodcenter

Ever since breaking his leg in a TKO loss at UFC 264, McGregor has been out and about and linked to numerous failed fights. He sold out the 3Arena for the UFC 303 PPV kickoff media presser, but he withdrew due to a broken pinky toe. The Irishman has not been scheduled for a bout since then and has been part of a big heartbreak.

Whereas Jones did this voluntarily and bowed out of a unification, negligently. So, other voluntary teases right about now, not amounting to a compact camp and return, or a return but not against a super fight with Aspinall, is just bad brooding news.

Also Read:

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• Jon Jones Reveals Dana White Hiding ‘Plans’ From Fans About Heavyweight Super Fight