TLDR
- Chael Sonnen criticized Jon Jones for demanding to fight only on the UFC’s 2026 White House card
- Dana White says the UFC ‘can’t trust’ Jones after he backed out of a Tom Aspinall title fight
- Sonnen called Jones ‘not very bright’ for making demands when the company questions his reliability
- Alex Pereira confirmed he will not fight at the White House event, affecting Jones’ potential opponents
- Joe Rogan believes Jones should be on the White House card despite the trust issues
Sources: MMA Weekly | Fighters Only | Compilation of recent MMA news reports
UFC legend Chael Sonnen has sharply criticized Jon Jones over his push to compete at the UFC’s historic White House event in 2026. Sonnen called Jones ‘not very bright’ during an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show.
The criticism centers on Jones’ insistence that he will only return to fight on the White House card. Sonnen argues this all-or-nothing approach shows Jones doesn’t understand his current standing with the UFC.
‘He’s missing the point,’ Sonnen said. ‘The company coming out and saying that they can’t trust him and him making a demand that he will only fight on one [White House card]. That is what they are saying, ‘We can’t trust you.”
Chael Sonnen went in on Jon Jones' demands of fighting only on the White House card 😡
Full details: https://t.co/HwRAYWP6Ts pic.twitter.com/u4Bw6JnTOS
— Sportskeeda MMA (@sportskeedaMMA) December 17, 2025
Jones has repeatedly asked UFC president Dana White to include him on the card. However, White remains unhappy about Jones declining to fight current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall despite initially agreeing to the bout.
Instead of facing Aspinall, Jones chose to retire from the sport. This decision damaged his relationship with the UFC and raised questions about his reliability.
Why the UFC Lost Trust in Jones
White has publicly stated the organization cannot count on Jones to follow through on commitments. This lack of trust stems directly from Jones backing out of the Aspinall fight after agreeing to terms.
Sonnen explained that Jones doesn’t have the leverage to make demands about which card he fights on. ‘Nobody gets to pick what card they come back and they only come back for this,’ Sonnen said. ‘Jon’s doing his best. He’s just not very bright.’
Jones has since come out of retirement and expressed willingness to fight multiple opponents. He has mentioned Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane, and Alex Pereira as possible matchups for the White House event.
However, Sonnen says Jones fails to see that even offering multiple names doesn’t change the fact he’s making demands. ‘He doesn’t understand that that’s what he is doing,’ Sonnen explained.
Pereira Rules Out White House Fight
The situation became more complicated when Alex Pereira confirmed he will not compete at the White House event. Both Jones and Pereira had discussed fighting each other at the June 2026 card in recent months.
Sonnen mentioned that Jones is dealing with personal issues similar to Ilia Topuria, though he did not provide details. He said he forgives Jones and wishes him well despite the criticism.
Not everyone agrees with the UFC’s stance on Jones. Joe Rogan recently defended Jones during a conversation with Brendan Allen.
Alex Pereira announces huge change to his UFC plans after targeting Jon Jones fight at the White House https://t.co/eb6B8lxz6O pic.twitter.com/sfZdPtCv7A
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) December 17, 2025
‘Well, if they don’t do Jon Jones at the White House it’s going to be a travesty,’ Rogan said. ‘Dana’s like, ‘You can’t count on him,’ you can f****** count on him, come on, stop.’
The White House card is scheduled for June 2026 and has been promoted as the best event in UFC history. The promotion has set high expectations for the card, which is expected to showcase the sport’s top fighters.
Jones’ career in mixed martial arts includes multiple championships and wins over top competitors. However, his later years have been marked by controversies both inside and outside the cage.
White has not announced whether Jones will be included on the White House card. The UFC president continues to express concerns about Jones’ ability to commit to scheduled fights.
