Demetrious Johnson doesn’t think Jon Jones or Conor McGregor deserve a spot at the UFC’s White House event.
Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) retired and relinquished his UFC heavyweight title before opting to return upon hearing news of the White House event next June. Jones hasn’t competed since defending his belt with a finish of Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, is also eyeing his long-awaited return at the White House. McGregor recently received an 18-month suspension from UFC anti-doping program Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for three whereabouts failures that occurred in mid-to-late 2024.
If it were up to Johnson, he’d have the UFC’s active stars featured on the historic event over Jones and McGregor.
“I just don’t like when somebody iced, sitting there chilling, they get to pick and choose what they do,” Johnson said on his “Mighty Guru Show.” “Maybe they earned that right, I have no idea. But for me? I want to see guys who are putting the f*cking rubber to the pavement. All the accomplishments Jon Jones has done, it’s amazing.
“I’m not denying that. I’m just saying that if we’ve got guys who are on the roster who are f*cking fighting their asses off, they should have the first dibs to get on the White House. Even for Conor, we don’t need his ass on the White House. But I know him and Donald Trump, they have a good thing going. But I just don’t want to see other athletes miss out on an opportunity that are fighting right now.”
UFC CEO Dana White is not warm to the idea of Jones fighting on the White Card, and sees a higher chance of McGregor returning.
