Over the weekend, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion was caught on camera following an alleged road rage incident. While video of what sparked the brief verbal exchange between Jones and a fellow New Mexico driver hasn’t surfaced, footage of Jones telling the man to “relax himself” and giving him the finger, up close and personal, was released online.

Jones keeps his left hand in his pocket at all times, leading some to speculate that he was armed at the time of the confrontation.

This guy got into a road-rage incident with Jon Jones 😳

🗣️ Jon Jones: “You gotta calm down bro. You gotta relax yourself bro.” 😬

(via IG / bryanbeltran06) pic.twitter.com/g8qOyUmwkK

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 5, 2026

During the encounter, the man who filmed the incident accused Jones of nearly hitting him and straying into his lane.

In response, Jones posted his side of the story via his verified Twitter/X account.

“This kid proceeded to chase my car down for two blocks, revving his engine and trying to intimidate me. I am glad this happened to me and not one of the senior citizens in our community,” wrote Jones. “I am proud of myself for standing up for myself and not allowing that kind of bullying or intimidation.”

A man believed to be the driver, Bryan Beltran, released a statement on Instagram alongside the footage.

“Driving up Central close to Eubank when I was almost hit 3 times by the truck even after I revved my car at him the first time it almost happened he still almost hit me twice after that so I flipped him off then he proceeded to stop in the middle of the road back up and come into the same parking lot.

The night before another guy in a truck pulled out in front me so this was pretty annoying considering it was the second time a guy in a truck cant drive… I guess those are ABQ drivers for you stay safe.

Btw I know its John Jones i didn’t know who it was when i flipped him off but definitely realized who it was quick! No hate or hard feelings towards my guy John but I think he might need to take some driving classes cause he almost him multiple times. Hopefully soon I make another video where we can maybe shake hands and ‘squash the beef.'”

Jones is no stranger to incidents on the roads. A Bentley driven by Jones crashed into a telephone pole in 2012, resulting in injuries to two passengers. Jones was cited for a DUI, later pleading guilty. In 2015, he was involved in a hit-and-run that saw him strike the vehicle of a pregnant woman then flee on foot. He subsequently returned to the scene, collected personal belongings from the vehicle, and fled a second time.

Jon Jones was charged with felony hit and run in the 2015 incident, but reached a plea deal that saw him accept a charge of fleeing the scene of an accident.

Despite being one of MMA’s greatest ever fighters, Jones’ long history of embarrassing incidents inside and outside of the cage, including being stripped of UFC titles on three separate occasions, led Dana White to reportedly refuse to book him on the Freedom 250 card at the White House this June.

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While UFC CEO and President Dana White has insisted that Jones was never going to headline the show, the fighter has been insistent that negotiations were ongoing up to this past Friday.

On Saturday, the promotion announced the Freedom 250 card, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, and featuring Alex Pereira taking on Ciryl Gane for a interim heavyweight title while champ Tom Aspinall recovers from eye surgery.

Aspinall is now one of two unlikely supporters backing Jones in his latest falling out with the promotion. The current heavyweight champ petitioned to fight Jones last year, with a fight briefly being agreed to before “Bones” backed out.

“This is probably going to be crazy to a lot of people listening, but why is the UFC not giving Jon the respect he deserves financially? That’s crazy to me,” Aspinall said on The Ariel Helwani Show recently.

“If anyone should be getting paid a lot in this sport, it should be Jon Jones for the stuff that he’s done. And that’s me saying that!” Aspinall exclaimed. “After the history that I’ve had with Jon Jones.”

“They offered him $30 million to fight me. Why don’t they offer it again? I don’t understand,” he finished.

Would-be foe Francis Ngannou, who fans have long wanted to see face Jones, has also spoken out in support of the man many consider MMA’s Greatest of All Time (GOAT).

“Watching this story unfold yesterday was very interesting,” Ngannou wrote on social media. “I have lots to say, but for now, Jonny boy, if you manage to get your freedom, then let me know. You deserve that $30M+ after everything you’ve done for the sport, and they should be rolling out the RED CARPET for you.”

Jon Jones campaigned for a spot on the White House card for months and returned to the UFC’s drug testing pool after a brief retirement to facilitate the opportunity. Jones is undefeated in his career save for a DQ loss to Matt Hamill for illegal 12-6 elbows, which have since been permitted under the Unified Rules of MMA.

After his latest fracture with the UFC, Jones has requested his release from the promotion.

The post Jon Jones Backed in UFC Feud by Two Unlikely Supporters appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday, promotion officials released the line-up for the card, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje. While a good fight with tons of potential, the entire six-fight event was met with mixed reaction from fans.

Dana White later stated that despite Jon Jones’ claim that he was negotiating with the UFC, there was never a plan for “Bones,” a former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, to headline the card. He did, however, admit that Topuria vs. Gaethje was a last-minute addition to the show, and revealed that a fight had fallen through on Friday.

Jones, who previously questioned the UFC’s narrative in since-deleted posts to Twitter/X, released a longer statement on Monday that also requested his release from the promotion.

“Hey everyone, I wanted to address Dana White’s comments from this past weekend, because the truth matters to me and the fans,” wrote Jones. “Dana, you were heated about why I’m not on the White House card, but let’s clear something up. My team and I were actually negotiating with the UFC for that fight. Real negotiations. I even came down from my original number, and what was I offered in return ? I was lowballed.

Jones then responded to comments White made about his arthritic hip, a condition Jones revealed just weeks ago. “Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight. So let me get this straight, if I had accepted the lowball offer, suddenly my hip would be fine and I’d be on the White House card? That doesn’t make sense. I even received stem cell treatment last week to get ready for the White House card, and training camp was scheduled to start today. I was preparing to be ready.”

“I understand business deals fall through sometimes, but going out publicly and saying things that aren’t true isn’t right. After everything I’ve given to the UFC, the years, the title defenses, the fights, hearing that I’m “done” is disappointing. Especially when as recently as Friday UFC was calling me trying to get me on that White House card for a much lower number. If the UFC truly feels like I’m done, then I respectfully ask to be released from my contract today. No more spins, no more games. Thank you to the real fans who know what’s up. Bones out.”

Jones has long coveted a fight with Alex “Poatan” Pereira, who is vacating his light heavyweight title for a move to heavyweight. He’s currently booked to fight Ciryl Gane for an interim title on the Freedom 250 card.

Another legacy fight for Jones, Francis Ngannou, recently announced he was fighting for MVP on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card on Netflix. With Netflix likely willing to pony up money for big fights, Jones may now see a bigger payday waiting outside the UFC.

The post Jon Jones Requests UFC Release, Says Promotion “Lowballed” Him appeared first on Cageside Press.

Notably absent was Jon Jones, who earlier in the week said he had been in negotiations to appear.

During White’s post-fight press conference appearance, the UFC President and CEO claimed that Jones was never going to appear on the card, though he did admit the matchmakers had spoken to him. About what, if “Bones” was never considered for the event, seems unclear.

Jones, on Sunday, posted a number of messages on social media in response, before subsequently deleting several of them.

“So all of this negotiating was complete bullshit, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?” Jones questioned in one post. In another, he asked, “I’m released from the UFC?!!”

Jones had made no secret about his desire to fight at the White House event, while his boss, White, made no bones about the fact that he didn’t want to entrust Jones with such a major responsibility. Over the years, Jones has been stripped of three UFC titles, fled the scene after hitting a pregnant woman’s vehicle with his car, failed drug tests, and forced an entire event to be moved to another state on short notice.

Still, he remains the UFC’s consensus GOAT, a former two-division champ, and came out of retirement and rejoined the UFC’s drug testing pool for a chance to represent his country at the White House.

“Man, how f*cking painful,” Jones admitted in yet another post on Sunday.

The post Jon Jones Questions UFC Narrative About Negotiations for White House appeared first on Cageside Press.

Instead, the event served as the launch point, of sorts, for the UFC’s upcoming White House card, now titled Freedom 250. The full card, as it stands, was announced during the UFC 326 broadcast, and notably, Jon Jones was not among the names revealed.

Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje headline the show in a lightweight title fight; Alex Pereira moves to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for an interim title in the co-main event.

How did the UFC come up with the Freedom 250 card? Dana White explained to media outlets including Cageside Press following Saturday’s event in Las Vegas that “basically, what we did is the matchmakers started talking to everybody, seeing what fights were possible then came back to me. And I chose the card.”

As far as the interim title attached to Pereira vs. Gane, he noted that “Tom [Aspinall, heavyweight champion] obviously won’t be ready for the White House fight. That’s why it’s an interim title.”

Aspinall is recovering from an eye injury incurred during a fight with Gane last year.

White revealed on Friday that one fight had fallen off the White House card at the last minute. The UFC CEO and President was mum about exactly what the fight was on Saturday.

“It’s not important,” he stated, later adding “There’s weird circumstances around it, that we probably shouldn’t talk about it.”

White added, however, that the bout did not involve Jon Jones, noting that he’d already dismissed the idea of Jones fighting on the card. “He can barely run. He retired because of his hips, he’s got arthritis in his hips. Doctors say he should have a hip replacement. Add that on top of all the other reasons that I wouldn’t— the Jon Jones thing is bullsh*t.”

White then somewhat contradicted himself, saying “I’m not saying we weren’t talking to Jon Jones, or that Jon Jones wasn’t interested in the fight.” Maybe not entirely BS, then, but a deal never got made.

Asked whether it was fair to say Jones was retired, White replied with “Yes, very fair.”

Whatever fight did drop out, there’s a question as to whether it could be replaced. For now, it’s a six-fight card for Freedom 250.

‘We literally had, I don’t know, 15, 20 fights to choose from from the top to the bottom of the card. Which is six. We were at seven actually, I had one more and then when the other one fell out, we went back to six,” explained White. “There were lots of things in play. There were lots of fights in play for the White House. And this is the card that I ended up picking.”

For fans who can’t attend the White House— the event will be heavily restricted— there will be an opportunity to watch the fights somewhat live.

“The Eclipse across the street, we’ll be able to hold 85,000 people over there,” White told Cageside Press. “We’re going to have screens and fan [activities] over there. RAM is giving away trucks, all kinds of cool stuff. Even if you can’t get tickets, you should be in DC the week of the fight. Press conference is going to be at the Lincoln Memorial. It’s going to be fun.”

Watch the full UFC 326 post-fight press conference with Dana White above.

The post Dana White: “Very Fair” to Say Jon Jones Is Retired appeared first on Cageside Press.

He also, since it was going to be obvious anyway what with Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg fighting for light heavyweight gold, noted that Alex Pereira was vacating his light heavyweight title.

The wheels and cogs of the UFC’s matchmaking machine have clearly been turning these past few days. Now, former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones has revealed he’s “in negotiations” to fight at the White House event in June.

Speaking to fans at The Brook, a New Hampshire-based casino and entertainment complex, Jones exclaimed to a round of applause that “I’m in negotiations about this White House thing as well,” adding “I’m a very, very, very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time, so we’ll see what happens.”

🚨 Jon Jones reveals he's in talks to fight on the UFC White House card 👀

"I'm in negotiations with the UFC about this White House [fight] as well. I'm a very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time." pic.twitter.com/5dySHjvDc4

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 1, 2026

Jones’ involvement in the UFC White House card was nixed early on by Dana White, citing the superstar’s history of fight cancellations and egregious behavior outside the cage. Jones has, after all, been stripped of UFC championships on three separate occasions, a promotion record.

At the same time, “Bones” remains a top pick for MMA’s GOAT (Greatest of All Time), alongside Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson. And he’s expressed interest in a super-fight with Pereira, who now seems intent on moving up to heavyweight after winning titles at middleweight and light heavyweight.

The stars might just align for once. The UFC no doubt wants an American star to headline the White House card, and Jones has long expressed interest in both Pereira, and the event. While he was cool on heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, Aspinall remains out with an eye injury.

Whether this leads to an interim title, or Aspinall is unceremoniously stripped (which would spark considerable uproar), remains to be seen. But Jon Jones appears to be one step closer to fighting at the White House.

The card takes place on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C. on June 16, 2026.

The post Jon Jones Says He’s “In Negotiations” for UFC White House Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I have severe arthritis and most people don’t know that,” Jones stated in a video recently posted on social media. “My left hip is covered in arthritis. I actually already qualify for a hip replacement. My last training camp, I went to bed in so much pain.”

Jones was responding to a fan who said he was hoping to see “Bones,” a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, take on Daniel Cormier in Real American Freestyle, the upstart wrestling promotion that has seen several UFC stars competing under its banner.

“I have a three year old baby boy. I want to use what I have left of my hips to play with his ass,” Jones added.

In a separate statement to TMZ, Jones expanded on the arthritis claim.

”The UFC knows the extent of my arthritis,” Jones said. “They also know that if I were to put it all on the line one last time and endure that level of pain, the reward would have to be something special and something more than a fat payday. For me, that was and is still the White House.”

He’d later note that, whether his desire to fight at the White House happens or not, “my career has been one for the ages and nothing short of legendary.”

UFC CEO and President Dana White has been reluctant to book Jones for the White House event (which does not have any fights announced) due to the fighter’s history of issues including fight cancellations, drug test failures, and scandals.

The post Jon Jones Says He Has Severe Arthritis, Qualifies for Hip Replacement appeared first on Cageside Press.

During one of the longest MMA breaks we’ve had in several years, it feels only right to look ahead and discuss the fights we are most looking forward to this year.

Last year, we received three of the fights on my annual list. Of the two that did not materialize, one was the talk of the year…until it wasn’t.

This year, the allure of getting on the much anticipated White House card has drawn competitors past and present to throw their hats in the cage. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that for some fighters, being on the White House card is the only thing making a return worth it.

But while that remains the most coveted date in 2026, there are a number of high profile match-ups that would be must see television this year. Not for nothing, there is also a new business structure to take into account. With the pay-per-view era coming to an end this year, will the exposure that comes on CBS and Paramount+ lead to more of these blockbuster fights being made by the UFC to bolster the new partnership?

Without further ado, let us delve into the top fights to make in 2026.

The post Top Five UFC Fights to Make in 2026 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jones, who vacated the UFC’s heavyweight title earlier this year and announced his retirement, quickly changed his tune about hanging up the gloves after the White House card was announced.

UFC CEO and President Dana White, who had earlier insisted a fight between Jones and Tom Aspinall would happen, has been steadfast in refusing to put Jones name on the line-up for the event. To be fair, no line-up has actually been announced, but White has publicly stated he would not put Jones on the card, due to the myriad of issues, including cancellations, “Bones” has been responsible for.

Now, in an interview with the No Scripts podcast, Jones has admitted fault, to some extent, in a verbal agreement for a fight with Aspinall falling through.

“I think my most immediate goal is to try to be on the White House card,” Jones said in a videotaped appearance on the podcast, released in full on Thursday. Yet asked if he’d spoken to White about it, “I’m giving Dana his space,” he replied.

“Dana has changed my life. He’s changed my life, he’s changed my children’s lives. I’m forever grateful to him. We had a verbal agreement that didn’t go over well, nothing was finalized, but I do admit guilt- not guilt, but I was wrong.”

“The way things went down, I was wrong. And I wish that I could see him face-to-face and just apologize to him so that we can let bygones be bygones and get back to making some major money for the sport, and really entertaining these fans.”

Jones reportedly turned down $30 million to face Aspinall, a number Ariel Helwani revealed on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast. With Aspinall now the UFC’s undisputed champion and looking at a rematch with Ciryl Gane next year, Jones is back to targeting a fight with light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira.

“I feel like, either way that fight were to go, no one loses in that fight,” Jones said on facing the Brazilian, a former champ at middleweight and two-time light heavyweight champion. “It generates so many millions for the sport. There’s just no losing when you have such high level people competing who respect each other.”

Will White bite at Jones’ latest petition to fight on the White House card? We likely won’t know until sometime in the new year.

The post Jon Jones Wants to Apologize to UFC’s Dana White: “I Was Wrong” appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of Jones’ death broke Friday afternoon, with few details available as to the underlying cause. The Baltimore Ravens, however, issued a statement attributed to General Manager Eric DeCosta addressing Jones’ passing.

“We are terribly saddened to learn of Arthur Jones’ sudden passing,” that statement reads. “Arthur’s presence was a gift to everyone he encountered. His big, bright smile, infectious energy and eternal positivity created a presence that continuously uplifted others.”

“He was kind, courteous, and enthusiastic – always displaying a love for family, teammates and friends.”

“We send our deepest condolences to the Jones family and all who loved Arthur.”

A defensive end, Arthur Jones was drafted by the Ravens in 2010, and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII. He also suited up for the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts. Jones announced his retirement from professional football at the end of the 2017 season.

Brother Jon Jones, 38, announced his retirement from MMA earlier this year, vacating his UFC heavyweight title. He has been campaigning, however, for a spot on next year’s UFC White House card. Younger brother Chandler Jones has also played in the NFL.

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