Jon Jones teases UFC return, Tom Aspinall unveils bold plan for title reign, Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager slams Conor McGregor: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! Just when the heavyweight division was beginning to move forward, Jon Jones dropped a new bomb. While that unfolded, freshly crowned undisputed champion Tom Aspinall laid out a clear and bold plan for his title run. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor made headlines with his White House fight ambitions, only to be met with a scathing response from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime manager. Let's break them all down:

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Jon Jones positions himself for a potential return after announcing retirement

Jon Jones has seemingly re-entered the USADA testing pool fourteen days after announcing his retirement. The former UFC heavyweight champion shared the update on social media, suggesting he wants to keep his options open.

According to UFC rules, six months of clean testing are required before a return. Jones walked away before a planned title unification bout with Tom Aspinall. That fight had already been confirmed by Dana White, but the retirement abruptly canceled it.

Jones took to X and wrote:

“Just re-entered the testing pool, that lasted for about two weeks. Figured we’d keep everyone’s options open.”

Check out Jon Jones' X post below:

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Tom Aspinall sets aspiration for his title reign

Tom Aspinall has bold goals for his title reign after taking over as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He wants four fights in the next twelve months and plans to defeat every ranked contender in the heavyweight top ten by the end of 2026.

Aspinall holds wins over Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes, Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac. The UK MMA star wants to leave no doubt about who the best heavyweight in the world is.

Speaking in a recent appearance on the One on One/ MMA show, Aspinall said:

"I'd like to do four [fights]. If you look at the top ten now, I've beaten six of them. My goal is to beat [all] 10, of the top 10. I want to beat all 10... My goal is at least three, maybe four, between now and the end of 2026."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below:

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Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager blasts Conor McGregor over potential UFC White House fight claims

Conor McGregor stirred up headlines again after Donald Trump announced that a UFC event would be held at the White House in 2026. McGregor jumped in quickly, claiming he would headline the card as the reigning President of Ireland. He wrote:

"July 4th next year is a Saturday, regarding President Trump's UFC White House event. I will be reigning President of Ireland [in] just under 1 year when I step out on the lawns of the White House to throw down. Epic proportions! Or as I like to call it, Tuesday at the office. Vote McGregor."

The statement triggered a brutal response from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager. Ali Abdelaziz fired back on social media, mocking McGregor’s troubled past and questioning whether he could even meet the testing requirements. He took to X and wrote:

"I was being told the White House is going to have a heavy street drugs test policy, and we all know you cannot pass that, maybe you can go fight in a China card, no cocaine in the White House anymore."

Check out the exchange below: