Jon Jones has officially re-entered the UFC’s anti-doping programme following his two-week retirement.
UFC CEO Dana White shocked the MMA world when he announced Jones had retired from MMA in June.
However, ‘Bones’ quickly reversed his decision after US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to host a fight card at the White House in 2026.
The former two-division UFC champion said he has a ‘strong feeling’ he’ll be on the White House card after making a U-turn on his retirement, claiming the opportunity to represent his country on the world stage was too good to turn down.
White has since confirmed Jones’ return, but also suggested that he can’t trust his former champion to headline the blockbuster card.
Nonetheless, Jones, 38, has this week made his first step to getting back to action.
The UFC’s anti-doping pool has shown that he has submitted a new test in what is his third of 2025.
Usually, fighters coming out of retirement are expected to have six full months of testing before coming back.
This could theoretically be waved by the UFC, but Jones hasn’t suggested he wants to fight on any card before the White House event.
When is UFC White House?
Nothing has been set in stone for the UFC’s first appearance at the White House.
However, Trump wants the massive event to celebrate 250 years of American independence on July 4, 2026, which falls on a Saturday.
White has confirmed, though, that the card will be held outdoors on the South Lawn of the White House.
Both Jones and Conor McGregor have expressed their interest to fight on the card.
Ex-UFC champion Sean O’Malley has also said he would like a fight at the White House, suggesting McGregor to meet lightweight king Ilia Topuria in the main event.
Jones, meanwhile, said he wants to fight whoever is the UFC heavyweight champion by the time the card comes around.
He defended the belt against Stipe Miocic in his last fight at UFC 309 in November, but vacated it after retiring.
Briton Tom Aspinall was elevated to undisputed status in the heavyweight division when Jones retired.
And he now makes his first defence of the heavyweight strap on October 25 against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321.
Therefore, the winner of that bout could find themselves facing Jones down the line.
Is Conor McGregor making a return at UFC White House?
The news of Jones’ return to the UFC’s testing pool comes just over a week after McGregor gave his first sample amid speculation surrounding his comeback to the sport.
McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in the summer of 2021, but declared last month that he would be ready to end his hiatus on the White House bill.
The 37-year-old was meant to make his return in June 2024 to fight Michael Chandler.
But the fight was cancelled when the Irishman pulled out with a broken toe.
“The only place where disputes truly get settled…The White House,” McGregor wrote on X last month, alongside an AI-generated image of him facing off with Chandler.