UFC great Jon Jones‘ retirement lasted two weeks. The former two-division titleholder relinquished his heavyweight championship and announced that he was done fighting on June 21. On July 4th, Jones came out of retirement after President Donald Trump announced plans to host a UFC event on the White House grounds next Independence Day.
“I was retired. I felt like I was at a place where I’ve done it all in the MMA space. I felt like there wasn’t too many more challenges for me and I just wanted to do something more than championships and money and Donald Trump mentioned that he wanted to have a fight at the White House garden,” Jones told ESPN on the 2025 ESPYS Red Carpet show.
“That just seems like such a huge opportunity. I’m a very proud American. I have a lot of close friends who are in the military and this is my act; I can’t call it service but to be able to entertain the country and the world at this level at the White House, it means the world to me. So, I’m back.”
While speaking at an event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3, Trump made the announcement. “Every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honor of America 250, and I even think we’re going to have a UFC fight,” Trump said.
Related: Undefeated MMA fighter shot five times in horrific attack
UFC CEO Dana White recently stated that the event will be ‘the best card’ the fight promotion has ever done.
“This is a Sphere, one of one, unique event that will never happen again. And I will blow the doors off this thing. I’m going to make this one of the greatest events of all time,” White said on the Spinnin Backfist MMA Show.
“It will be a full card, and it will be the best card we’ve ever done to date,” White continued. “As of right now it’s set to take place on the South Lawn. He said we could move it over to somewhere else for more people. I don’t care if five people show up to this thing. I want to be on the lawn at the White House.”