MMA Daily News — March 9, 2026: Jones Fires Back at White, Makhachev Was the Original White House Main Event & Oliveira Claps Back at McGregor
- Dana Black
- Mar 9
- 7 min read
Overview
The morning after UFC 326 was supposed to be a hangover of big results and White House hype. Instead, the MMA world woke up to a full-scale war of words. Jon Jones is furious at Dana White, Islam Makhachev has been revealed as the fight that collapsed at the last minute for Freedom Fights 250, Charles Oliveira clapped back at Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, and Arman Tsarukyan remains firmly in the UFC doghouse with his title shot future hanging in the balance. It is the most eventful day-after in recent memory — and there is a lot to unpack.
Contents
BOMBSHELL: Makhachev Was the Original White House Main Event
The fight that fell off the UFC Freedom Fights 250 White House card has been identified — and it is a stunner. According to a report from Spanish outlet Marca, the UFC had agreed a deal to book welterweight champion Islam Makhachev against Ilia Topuria at the White House as the main event, with negotiations completing as recently as last week. On Friday — during the UFC 326 weigh-in period — the UFC was informed that Makhachev would no longer be able to compete. That prompted the late-night scramble that Dana White himself referenced in his pre-event interview, and which led to matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard working through the night to finalise the Topuria vs. Gaethje alternative.
The context is enormous. Makhachev is the reigning UFC welterweight champion who vacated the lightweight title to move up in weight. A cross-divisional super-fight between Makhachev and Topuria — the current lightweight champion — would have been one of the biggest matchups in UFC history, a collision of two of the sport's pound-for-pound elite. The reasons for Makhachev's withdrawal have not yet been officially confirmed. What we do know is that Dana White on Saturday confirmed a major fight had collapsed, and cageside footage showed his visible shock at learning the news. Makhachev has not yet commented publicly on the report.
Jon Jones Fires Back at White After White House Snub
Jon Jones woke up to Dana White's post-fight press conference comments — and did not take them well. At UFC 326's presser, White was emphatic that Jones was never going to be on the White House card: 'Never, ever, ever — which I told you guys 100,000 times — was Jon Jones ever even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House.' White went further, stating it was 'very fair' to assume Jones is 100 per cent done with fighting due to his hip arthritis, and suggesting Jones was simply telling people he was in negotiations when White had already texted his lawyer to say it would never happen.
Jones fired back on social media on Sunday morning with a string of posts — several of which he subsequently deleted — expressing disbelief at White's characterisation of events. In one post, Jones asked: 'So all of this negotiating was complete bullshit, is that what you want me to agree to publicly?' In another, he demanded to know: 'I'm released from the UFC?!!' Jones also questioned how White could claim negotiations never happened when UFC matchmakers had clearly spoken with his team. The situation has exposed a significant rift between Jones and the UFC leadership, with the former two-division champion feeling publicly humiliated by White's framing of events.
Jones' Manager Speaks
Today, Jones' manager broke his silence and confirmed from their side that talks for the White House card had been real and substantive. He stated that meaningful negotiations had taken place and that an agreement had appeared close before ultimately falling apart. The manager's version of events directly contradicts White's claim that Jones was 'never' considered, suggesting the UFC CEO's public framing of the situation is at best a simplification and at worst a deliberate attempt to damage Jones' credibility. Jones may have hip issues and retirement may genuinely be on the cards — but the manner of his White House exclusion and the way White has handled the communication has turned what could have been a dignified farewell story into an ugly public dispute. This one is not going away.
Oliveira Fires Back at McGregor and Diaz
During UFC 326, both Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz took to social media to criticise the main event performance. Diaz called the fight 'boring,' while McGregor referred to both Holloway and Oliveira as 'two nerds' fighting for a title he claimed belonged to him. The new BMF champion was not about to let those comments go unanswered. Oliveira hit back directly, pointing out that he had just delivered a dominant, technically flawless five-round performance over one of the most beloved fighters in UFC history — and that his critics could say whatever they liked from the outside looking in.
The irony is not lost on anyone paying attention: McGregor calling other fighters 'nerds' while he has not competed since 2021 and continues to sit on the sidelines. CBS Sports have already floated Oliveira vs. McGregor as one of the most compelling BMF title matchups available, a box-office fight that would benefit 'Do Bronx' enormously given how heavily the narrative would favour him against the sport's biggest name. If McGregor does return as expected this summer, an Oliveira vs. McGregor fight for the BMF belt at International Fight Week would be a blockbuster. For now, Oliveira has earned the right to say whatever he wants back to his critics — the belt is his.
Tsarukyan Still in the UFC Doghouse
Arman Tsarukyan attended UFC 326 and was visible on camera during the broadcast — but being in the building has not translated into being back in the UFC's good books. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Tsarukyan remains 'not thrilled with' from the promotion's perspective, with White citing reasons beyond the publicised RAF 06 brawl with Georgio Poullas. 'I'm not thrilled with Arman right now. And there's a lot of different reasons. It's not just the stuff that you see publicly,' White told reporters.
The situation is a genuine dilemma for the UFC. Tsarukyan is arguably the #1 contender in the lightweight division on merit — he submitted Dan Hooker in the UFC Qatar main event and has wins over Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira in a career that puts him in elite company. Analyst Brendan Schaub summed up the predicament well: 'He gets the winner of Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira; he beats both of them. The only guy who has a shot to beat him is Ilia Topuria. Outside of that, he mops the floor with everybody. The UFC is in a bit of a pickle here.' Tsarukyan told the UFC earlier this year to 'forgive me, I'll be a good boy' — then promptly got into another brawl at RAF. He has been in negotiations for a title shot in September or October, but his path just got considerably murkier.
Freedom Fights 250: White House Fan Experience Revealed
While the White House card itself has a very limited live audience by the nature of the venue, Dana White revealed that fans without tickets have a spectacular alternative. The Ellipse — the oval-shaped park directly across from the South Lawn of the White House — will be set up to hold 85,000 fans, with giant screens broadcasting the fights live. RAM trucks are among the partners activating at the fan zone. White also confirmed that the pre-fight press conference will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. 'Even if you can't get tickets, you should be in DC the week of the fight,' White told reporters. 'The press conference is gonna be at the Lincoln Memorial. It's going to be fun.'
White also addressed the state of the new Paramount+ deal, saying the partnership has already exceeded expectations. 'If you look at where we are now, we're out from underneath two pay walls. Obviously, being on CBS is huge, and Paramount, for what it would cost you for one pay-per-view, you can watch everything UFC for the year. We already feel the difference in the business. And Paramount definitely does.' The White House event, he added, will blow everything out of the water in terms of subscriber numbers. The June 14 card streams live on Paramount+ globally.
UFC 326 by the Numbers: Record-Breaking Stats You Missed
Beyond the result, UFC 326 produced a staggering number of historical milestones that deserve recognition. Max Holloway — despite the loss — is now the UFC's all-time leader in total fight time at 8 hours, 52 minutes and 43 seconds in the Octagon. He has landed 3,681 significant strikes and 3,980 total strikes in UFC competition, both all-time records. He has absorbed 2,457 significant strikes — also the most in UFC history. Even in defeat, Holloway is writing records. On the winners' side, Oliveira improved to 16-4 since his return to lightweight in April 2017 and is now 37-11 overall (25-11 in the UFC). Drew Dober extended his own record for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history with his 11th stoppage in the division. And the event itself drew 19,480 fans for an $8.3 million gate at T-Mobile Arena.
FAQs
Who was supposed to fight at the UFC White House before Topuria vs Gaethje?
According to a report from Spanish outlet Marca, Islam Makhachev was set to face Ilia Topuria in a cross-divisional super-fight as the main event of Freedom Fights 250. Makhachev is the reigning UFC welterweight champion. The fight reportedly collapsed on Friday, the day of the UFC 326 weigh-ins, forcing the UFC to scramble overnight and ultimately book Topuria vs. Gaethje — the full title unification between the undisputed and interim lightweight champions.
Is Jon Jones retired from UFC?
Officially, no. But Dana White said at the UFC 326 post-fight press conference that it is 'very fair' to assume Jones is 100 per cent done with fighting, citing advanced hip arthritis that doctors say requires replacement surgery. Jones disputes White's version of events around the White House talks, with his manager confirming that real negotiations did take place. Jones posted — and then deleted — multiple social media messages on Sunday expressing outrage and questioning whether he had been released. His status remains unresolved.
What is next for Arman Tsarukyan?
Tsarukyan had been told by UFC executive Hunter Campbell to 'keep doing what you're doing' in the weeks before his latest RAF brawl. He had been targeting a lightweight title shot in September or October 2026, after the Topuria vs. Gaethje fight at Freedom Fights 250. However, Dana White's comments after UFC 326 suggest those plans are now uncertain. White confirmed there are issues with Tsarukyan beyond what is publicly visible, making it unclear when — or whether — he will get his title shot this year.
Up Next: UFC Vegas 114 — Emmett vs. Vallejos — March 14, 2026 at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
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