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‘This looks bad!’…UFC legend scorches Jon Jones for teasing comeback at The White House after abrupt retirement

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Curtis Calhoun | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 10:19 PM ET

Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones struck a nerve with Matt Brown after hinting at a UFC White House comeback.

Jon Jones raised eyebrows just a few days ago when the former UFC heavyweight champion announced he had re-entered the promotion’s drug testing pool just weeks after his retirement.

Jones, who retired after prolonged contract talks with the UFC to sign off on the Tom Aspinall fight, will have to sit on the sidelines for at least six months before being eligible to return to the cage.

U.S. President Donald Trump also made headlines when he announced an upcoming UFC event at The White House for next year, to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler, and other top stars have weighed in on fighting at the event.

Matt Brown pivots on Jon Jones stance amid former champion’s latest comeback tease

One such star interested in a featured bout at The White House is Jones, who shares a cordial relationship with President Trump and recently hinted at targeting a comeback fight at the U.S. capital. While Jones fired up many fans with his newfound interest in fighting, not everyone is happy with the former titleholder’s latest remarks.

During a recent episode of MMA Fighting‘s The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, former UFC star Matt Brown reacted to Jones’s latest comeback teases.

“I’m as big a Jon Jones fan as anybody,” Brown began on Jones. “I’ve always defended he’s not afraid of Tom, he’s willing to fight anybody. It’s hard to not fall into that narrative here though. To me, fighting at the White House, that doesn’t do it…

“I’ll tell you this looks bad, in my opinion. I’ve got the most respect for Jon. I talk about it all the time. The dude was kicking people’s —es while on cocaine. I’ve done enough cocaine to know, I could not do that. Respect, Jon, you are a bad ———-. But this looks like ducking.”

“I’ll be very clear, I don’t believe that Jon is scared of him or ducking him or any of that s—. But if he chooses not to fight him, makes the choice — if he comes back and fights [somebody else], he is choosing not to fight Tom Aspinall, I don’t know if we necessarily say that’s a bad look but it’s saying exactly what it is. He chose not to fight Tom Aspinall. That’s not cool.”

Meanwhile, Aspinall was promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion after Jones’s departure. He’s targeting a return to the Octagon later this year, potentially against the likes of Ciryl Gane, Alexander Volkov, or UFC Nashville headliner Derrick Lewis.

Jones opted not to fight Aspinall after months of negotiations, beginning in the days after he finished Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Jones captured the then-vacant heavyweight belt by submitting Gane at UFC 285.

Jon Jones returned to training just weeks after retirement announcement

Amid his comeback teases, Jones put gasoline on the fire when he posted footage of him returning to training alongside teammate Maurice Greene. UFC CEO Dana White recently shared a stunned reaction to Jones returning to the gym at the UFC 317 post-fight press conference.

Jones is widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all-time, but his abrupt leave from the Octagon has impacted his legacy in the minds of some fans. Aspinall has fought just once since earning the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295.

As Jones plots a potential return to the Octagon, mixed reviews are surfacing regarding a comeback fight. We could learn more about Jones’s fighting future in the coming months.