Jon Jones so badly wants to fight at the UFC’s planned 2026 card on the lawn of the White House that he has now turned to doing a highlight reel video that feels like a political ad.
There is no doubt that Jones is the greatest fighter in UFC history. But unfortunately, there are asterisks all over his career. There have long been rumors of PED use, and he has had unusual results on drug tests. Plus, he had several run-ins with the law and has been accused of domestic violence more than once.
Yet, the real reason UFC CEO Dana White has shown little interest in putting him on the historic card is understandable pettiness. White really wanted to finalize a unification bout between Jones and current heavyweight king Tom Aspinall. However, “Bones” proved difficult during negotiations and eventually retired from the sport.
Despite his long-time bosses consistently shutting down the idea of the MMA icon not being on the card, Jones has not relented in his public push for inclusion at the historic event. Last week, he admitted his part in failed negotiations for the Aspinall fight and his desire to hash things out and apologize to White.
Now, he is trying a different approach to achieve his goal. Publicly campaigning to be on the card with a political-style hype video.
Jon Jones record: 28-1 (11 KOs, 7 submissions)
On Wednesday, the former UFC two-division champion posted a video on social media explaining his love of being American, and why he needs to be on the card meant to celebrate the country’s birthday next year.
“This nation was built on courage and conflict. On the belief that we could take on the biggest, the boldest, and come out victorious,” Jones says in the video. “That’s how I lived my life. I can’t help but think what a better way to celebrate America’s fight than its best fighter to put it on full display.”
The clip features Alex Pereira, the man he wants to face on the card, and President Trump, along with a reference to fighting on “somebody’s lawn.” Jones is clearly reading from a teleprompter or dialogue card, which makes his plea seem less heartfelt.
The video is likely an advertisement for a partnership with Ketone-IQ for their energy shots, but it is still just the latest moment in what has been a desperate pursuit for Jones to end his retirement for a chance to fight in the historic 2026 event.
