Dana White clarified his stance on Jon Jones not fighting at the UFC White House card after the MMA legend went on a social media tirade following his snub.
The White House card was confirmed during the broadcast of Saturday's UFC 326.
The six-fight card features two blockbuster UFC titles bouts, including Alex Pereira taking on Ciryl Gane at heavyweight for the interim title.
Jones was in negotiations with UFC bosses to compete at the White House until they went in another direction for the historic event.
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He made his feelings clear about not being on the White House card as he went on a social media rant before deleting his posts.
One of his deleted posts read: "I'm released from the UFC?!!" Another read: "Make this make sense," with a third reading: "So all of this negotiating was complete bullsh*t, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?"
He added: "Laying in my bed, wrapping my head around this perception. All I can think is how f**king painful."
After Sunday's Zuffa Boxing 4, White was asked about Jones' social media outburst to which he replied by insisting he was never going to have him booked for the White House card.
"I never said that there were no negotiations," he said at Zuffa Boxing 4's post-fight presser. "I said 'were they talking to Jon Jones? They talk to everybody'. Everybody was talked to, but not one word of what I said was not true about the whole Jon Jones thing.
"How many times have I sat up here and said, 'he’s not fighting at the White House?'
"And have you guys all seen the video of the dude with the Meta glasses on when he didn’t know he was being filmed telling him that his hips are f**king shot and he needs hip replacement?"
White continued: "Did you not see the videos of him running in the flag football game? What did I say that wasn’t true? It’s all true and you guys all bust my balls about how much I love Jon Jones and Jon is the greatest of all time.
"But no way in hell Jon was going to be booked for the White House card, wasn’t going to happen. But the matchmakers were out talking to everybody, seeing what was possible and they brought me every possible fight that could be made."
Jones called time on his iconic career last year after essentially refusing to face Tom Aspinall, who was subsequently promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, having had the interim title.
But he was hellbent on fighting at the White House. He won't get the opportunity to compete in Washington, with the promotion going with Pereira and Gane for the interim title while Aspinall recovers from his eye injury.
Topics: UFC, Dana White, Jon Jones
Nasir Jabbar