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Joe Rogan backs Dana White as he blocks Jon Jones’ UFC White House dreams

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Donagh Corby | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 4:13 PM ET

Joe Rogan believes Dana White has made the correct call in going with a different headliner than Jon Jones for next year’s White House show.

When President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that the UFC would be bringing the octagon to the White House lawn for a special pay-per-view, Jones immediately cancelled his retirement. He rejoined the UFC testing pool, and insisted that he now had a new purpose for competing once more.

But White, after initially calling Jones vs Tom Aspinall his ‘dream headliner’ quickly changed his mind on the idea. Now, he believes it to be too risky particularly given Jones’ history of issues in and out of the octagon.

Joe Rogan backs Dana White’s decision on Jon Jones

Even though the event is almost a year away, it is safe to assume that Joe Rogan will be on the desk when the UFC comes to the White House. The famed comedian generally does color commentary for US-based pay-per-view shows with Daniel Cormier, missing his first in years last week at UFC 318.

But it seems that he won’t be commentating on a Jon Jones fight, after Dana White told media on Saturday that he was too much of a liability to be granted the headline spot. The legendary two-weight champion is probably the biggest star available, save for Conor McGregor, but is not the most reliable.

“It’s not even about him winning the belt,” White explained. “You know how I felt about him. You know I can’t risk putting him in big positions in a big spot and have something go wrong – especially the White House card.”

Rogan discussed this topic on his latest episode of the JRE MMA Show with Khalil Rountree Jr, telling the light-heavyweight: “Now he wants to fight for the title at the White House and Dana is like ‘nope, I can’t trust Jon to not f— something up’.

“Which is wild, but also what are you going to say when Jon just recently got in more trouble?” Rountree then noted that “It’s tough for Dana in his position, it’s too risky,” to which Rogan admitted twice that “it is”. “It’s a story as old as time isn’t it,” Rogan added.

Jon Jones reacts to Dana White’s White House decision

With respect to Jones, he had a relatively measured and understanding response to White’s comments at the UFC 318 post-fight press conference. He accepted his previous wrongdoing, but claimed he would remain training and available in case of plans changing.

“I heard the comments made at last night’s press conference,” Jones wrote in a lengthy X post. “While I was a little disappointed, I’m still in the UFC’s drug testing pool, staying sharp, and continuing to train like a professional. I’ll be ready for whatever comes next.

“In a recent interview, I shared that the opportunity to fight at the White House gave me something deeper to fight for, a ‘why’ that goes beyond paychecks or belts. Fighting for my country gives me a greater purpose! The silver lining in all this is knowing the fans see my heart.

“They see, I am ready and willing to take on anyone, to represent my country on a historic stage. For me, it’s never been just about the opponent. I’m chasing legacy, something timeless, something bigger than the moment. So for now, I’ll keep grinding, stay patient, and stay faithful. I’m ready to fight on July 4th.”

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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