Dana White Gives Brutal Assessment of UFC Legend Jon Jones' UFC Future

It was a busy weekend of activities for UFC CEO Dana White.

Before his late arrival in Oklahoma City Saturday night to catch the last two fights of an entertaining UFC Fight Night card that saw Dricus du Plessis earn a unanimous decision main event win over Kamaru Usman in a fight between two former UFC champions, White was busy promoting the upcoming Zuffa Boxing slate at Fanatics Fest in New York City earlier in the day.

In between his chaotic on-the-go schedule, White caught up with street interviewer Adam Glynn to discuss all things UFC, Zuffa Boxing, and MSG-related.

UFC CEO Dana White Clears Air With Jon Jones

Amongst several topics, White addressed the latest with former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones, and when (or if) he'll return to the Octagon. New York is all too familiar to the 38-year-old, having lived in Ithaca for much of his upbringing.

His last MMA fight took place in Nov. 2024, when he secured a TKO stoppage in what was Stipe Miocic's final UFC fight at UFC 309 at MSG, with the pair serving as the main event.

White kept things brief regarding Jones, confirming Jones' recall of them interacting with each other at UFC 329 in Las Vegas a week earlier.

Dana White on a potential Jon Jones UFC return:

“That’s up to him. He likes to talk about it, but actually getting a fight booked is a whole nother ball game.”

(via @adamglyn) pic.twitter.com/LcoKEE82g6
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 18, 2026

In a nutshell, White doesn't hold any grudges against Jones and still categorizes him as "the greatest of all time," whether he fights again or not. But, ultimately, White admitted that Jones' next venture in the UFC is his and his alone. White didn't confirm or deny that Jones had been offered fights at any point this year thus far.

Jon Jones Has Massive UFC Decision To Make

Dana White Gives Brutal Assessment of UFC Legend Jon Jones' UFC Future" — (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

“That’s up to him," White said regarding a Jones comeback fight. "He likes to talk about it, but actually getting a fight booked is a whole [other] ball game.”

White said there are a lot of moving parts happening with the TKO business at present. As is an annual tradition, White did confirm the promotion's plans to return to MSG in November, with no concrete date officially announced yet.

What's Next For UFC?

Last year, the UFC held UFC 322 there, which saw Islam Makhachev become the new UFC Welterweight Champion in the night's main event with a one-sided decision win vs. Jack Della Maddalena, to snap his unbeaten UFC run at eight.

The UFC's fall schedule is still being finalized, as the promotion announced a return to Edmonton-Alberta, Canda, set for Saturday, Oct. 17 for a Fight Night installment. More details are forthcoming regarding the promotion's end-of-year plans.

HEY CANADA 🇨🇦 The Octagon returns for #UFCEdmonton on October 17!!

Register your interest here: https://t.co/AeOlqnvBRe pic.twitter.com/odZjwPBtHY
— UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2026

But only time will tell.

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