Donald Trump, who wants to stick his nose into every sporting event he can, recently announced a UFC fight to be held... at the White House, as a way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States next year. The announcement was met with a mix of excitement and scepticism, but for Jon Jones, holder of multiple world championships in light and heavyweight divisions between 2008 and 2025, it may be an excuse to remain in the ring at least one more year.
Jones announced his retirement from MMA two weeks ago. But when the news broke about the fighting card in the White House, he showed his interest, commenting "I like this" in a post. This week he has been more explicit in his sudden change of mind, saying that he wants to take "whoever's holding the belt at the end of the year".
"I think it's exciting. Very exciting. I can't promise anything but I have a very strong feeling that I'll be on that card", he said, as reported by Talk Sport, adding that it would be fitting to have an American guy for the championship that night.
That sets the stage not only for Jones' return, but also the possibility of pitting him against Conor McGregor. The former Irish champion, who was found guilty of rape last year, only to announce months later that he would run for Ireland's presidency with a far-right, anti-immigrants program, facing Jon Jones in the White House, in front of Donald Trump, is already being hailed as "arguably the biggest event in the UFC's history".