Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
UFC CEO Dana White has no intention of booking Jon Jones to the promotion’s proposed event at the White House in 2026, despite Jones’ interest.
Jones, 38, retired from MMA in June instead of accepting a UFC heavyweight title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall. Just weeks after his retirement, however, Jones announced that he was planning a comeback, citing the UFC’s plans to host an event at the White House as the reason.
Despite Jones’ desire to fight on the card, White all but nixed the idea Saturday.
“I would not bet on it,” White said during the UFC 319 postfight news conference in Chicago. “If I had to make odds, it’s a billion-to-1 odds I put Jon Jones on the White House card.”
White has cited Jones’ unreliability as the reason to exclude him from the event. Jones is widely regarded as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but he has been involved in some legal issues outside of competition. The UFC was forced to strip Jones of his title multiple times, including in 2015, when he was arrested and charged with a felony hit-and-run in New Mexico. He is facing criminal charges for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident in February.
In 2016, the UFC made major changes to its landmark UFC 200 event in Las Vegas when Jones was flagged for a potential doping violation the week of the event. He was suspended for one year due to the violation.
Several big-name fighters on the UFC’s roster have expressed interest in the White House card, which White has said will take place July 4 in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary of its independence. Conor McGregor, who hasn’t fought since 2021, is included on that list. White has said he won’t start thinking about who will be on the card until next year, but he does not anticipate adding Jones.
Nevertheless, Jones has reentered the UFC’s mandatory drug testing program and has said he will be ready for the July 4 date.
