Tag: Alex Pereira

Dana White offers Jon Jones a compromise for desired Alex Pereira fight

UFC CEO Dana White has changed his tune on booking Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira – kind of.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] has changed his tune on booking [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] – kind of.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) has claimed prior to Saturday’s heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at UFC 309 that, if he successful, he will not unify belts with interim champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]. Instead he wants reigning light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira, who he said is the only matchup that would keep him from retirement.

White already has voiced his dismay for those comments, saying he will not make the Jones vs. Pereira fight next and “Bones” has the option to either retire or unify with Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC). He stands behind that, but thinks there is a compromise that could be made to satisfy everyone involved.

“Obviously a guy like Jon Jones has had a career where, if he wants something we would do it,” White said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But you can’t just do a fun fight and not fight the interim heavyweight champion, the guy who is next – because if Jon Jones retired on Saturday, Tom Aspinall would be the heavyweight champion.

“Opportunities were given to Jon Jones. He was 23, he was the youngest champion of all time. Now, as he sits where he sits, it’s his obligation to give it to the younger guy to give him that opportunity. If he beats Tom Aspinall, then yes, I would do the Alex Pereira fight.”

It remains to be seen if Jones will be open to taking on Aspinall. He said at UFC 309 that the Brit was “an asshole” and he doesn’t want to do business with him.

UFC 309 takes place at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Dana White: Jon Jones ‘absolutely, positively’ fights Tom Aspinall if he doesn’t retire

Ahead of UFC 309, Dana White shuts down Jon Jones’ desire to fight Alex Pereira and says Tom Aspinall is his only option.

UFC CEO Dana White is pushing back on [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ proposed legacy fight idea.

Should Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defeat Stipe Miocic and decide against retirement after UFC 309, White told “The Jim Rome Show” on Thursday there is only one option that makes sense, and it’s [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Although Jones wants to fight [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] in a potential superfight, White doesn’t see the UFC light heavyweight champion as having the proper abilities to book it.

“Jon will do what he does on Saturday,” White said. “If he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and the competitive spirit will start bubbling up again, and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall. He’s not fighting Pereira.

“(Pereira) was a middleweight who moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is way bigger than him. If Jon Jones want to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”

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Jones has flirted with the idea of Saturday’s bout vs. Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at Madison Square Garden being his last appearance in the octagon. However, he’s also continually entertained questions with scenario-filled answers as to a future beyond it.

None of Jones’ scenarios include Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who won interim gold in November 2023 and defended it once since. Jones has instead zeroed in on Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), which he views as a matchup that makes more sense business-wise and for his legacy.

White has continually voiced his opinion that Jones will compete again beyond UFC 309. Considered the greatest mixed martial artist ever by many, Jones has not lost outside of a disqualification for throwing then-illegal 12-6 elbows in December 2009.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Jon Jones vehemently defends desire to fight Alex Pereira over Tom Aspinall

Could UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones be any more clear about why he has no interest in fighting Tom Aspinall?

NEW YORK – To the fans who keep clamoring for UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] to fight [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] because Aspinall is the interim champ, he hears you. He’s just not going to listen.

Of course, Jones first has to retain his belt this Saturday when he meets former champ Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event at Madison Square Garden. The odds suggest that shouldn’t be a problem as Jones is a roughly 6-1 favorite to beat 42-year-old Miocic coming off a three-and-a-half-year layoff, and that’s why everyone is looking ahead.

Under normal circumstances, Jones already would be unifying the title with Aspinall this weekend, but legacy is what matters most to Jones at this stage of his career, hence why he stuck with a title defense against Miocic, who’s widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight of all time, that was supposed to happen a year ago. On top of that, Jones has made it clear that if he doesn’t retire after UFC 309, he wants what he views as another legacy fight against fellow UFC two-division champ Alex Pereira.

It’s prompted fans to criticize Jones for “ducking” Aspinall, some of whom he’s responded to on social media in recent days. When the topic was broached Wednesday during UFC 309 media day, Jones used the platform to vehemently defend himself and explain, in great detail, why fans have it all wrong.

“I feel like narratives have been created that just truly aren’t there. You can’t duck a man that you were never scheduled to fight,” Jones told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “It’s like saying you got turned down by a girl when you never even hit on her. You know what I’m saying? Me and Dana (White) and Hunter (Campbell) have never sat down and talked about Tom Aspinall. He’s never been on my radar. I mean, just a moment ago it was him and Sergei (Pavlovich) that was fighting (for the interim title at UFC 295). Sergei could be in this position right now, and I would still be in the same place of – I’ve beat people my whole career. And once I beat them, the show just goes on. The French fans were just all over my case, and I just beat their gu (Ciryl Gane at UFC 285). I find myself constantly in the same position of, ‘Oh wow, he just beat another guy. What’s next?’ When I beat Glover Teixeira, he was on a 20-fight winning streak. You beat Glover and then everything just moves on.

“I get that Tom is an exciting fighter. I get that finally, after 16 years, we’ve found somebody who’s seven years younger than me and 30 pounds bigger than me. Like, we’ve finally found someone who may give me a great challenge, and everyone wants to see it so bad. But for me, what’s in it for me? He changes nothing if I beat him. Beating Tom is just like beating Ciryl Gane. He has a whole country behind him; he’s hot right now. What happens to me after I beat him? Nothing changes for me. So, I’m not ducking Tom Aspinall. If I failed to fight Stipe, I would be ducking Stipe because we contractually have been signed up to fight over a year ago. This is Stipe’s position. The Tom narrative came out of nowhere. He won a belt, and now suddenly I’m ducking him. I’ve never even had negotiations to fight him, if this makes sense. So the fans are just ignoring it. They’re ignoring all logic, and they just have finally found someone who they think can compete with me, and everyone wants to see it now.”

What if the UFC wants Jones vs. Aspinall?

If Jones defeats Miocic as expected, the situation will get real and the question will be: What do Dana White and the UFC brass want? What if they want the titles unified and they throw enough money at Jones? Could that do the trick?

Jones appears to be dug in on his position no matter what.

“He does nothing for me. If you’re a person that wants to see me really challenged, then I get it. Like I said, seven years younger, like 35 pounds bigger than me, right? I get it. ‘Jon is so good, we finally found someone way younger and way bigger than him. Let’s see how he does against that.’ I get that narrative,” Jones said. “But for me, if you were my manager, if you were on my team, why not fight against Pereira? A guy who’s the same age as you, and we walk around the same exact size. Now, I had to eat a big breakfast because I’m getting underneath 235 (pounds). Pereira walks around at like 240, and he has magnificent accolades. Business-wise, it makes more sense.

“Fight the nobody that may be more dangerous, or fight the guy with all the accolades, who’s incredibly dangerous but actually will affect your legacy? Me beating Ciryl Gane didn’t change anything for me, just gave me a few more millions. And it would be the same for Tom Aspinall whereas, when you look back, ‘Jon just beat Alex Pereira,’ it’s bigger. It’s just bigger. And anybody who can’t understand that logic simply doesn’t want to.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Overreaction Time: UFC 309 bold predictions, plus will Jake Paul embarrass Mike Tyson?

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” looking ahead to Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, and more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Danny Segura debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] will finish [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] at UFC 309, no doubt about it.
  • Jones’ legacy will take a hit if he loses to Miocic.
  • Sorry, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], but Jones definitely should fight [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] if he wins at UFC 309.
  • [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] WILL steal the show at UFC 309.
  • [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] is poised to have a breakout performance at UFC 309.
  • [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag] is about to embarrass himself against[autotag] Jake Paul[/autotag].

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Jon Jones willing to vacate heavyweight title in order to fight Alex Pereira after UFC 309

If it wasn’t already clear that Jon Jones has little to no interest in fighting Tom Aspinall after UFC 309, this should change that.

[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] may or may not continue fighting beyond UFC 309, but if he does, the reigning heavyweight champion has declared he would be willing to return for one more fight against light heavyweight king [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] over [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].

Complicating Jones’ wish is the fact that Aspinall currently is the UFC interim heavyweight champ, a title he claimed in November 2023 with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. That door was opened only because Jones suffered a pectoral injury that forced him to withdraw from his original date with Stipe Miocic.

If Jones, who’s flirted with retiring after UFC 309, defeats Miocic and continues his career beyond Saturday night’s main event, many (perhaps even the majority of) fans and pundits believe he should unify the title with Aspinall, UFC CEO Dana White among them. But as far Jones is concerned, those people are simply misguided.

“Well, the interim championship shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” Jones said Monday in an interview with Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter. “The only reason there was an interim championship fight was because I got hurt, and they needed to keep the importance of that Madison Square Garden event (UFC 295). But Sergei and Aspinall shouldn’t have been fighting for an interim title in the first place. They should’ve just been a replacement fight, a main event. I think making it an interim fight was premature, and now you have a bunch of confused people.”

Jones vs. Pereira for the BMF title?

When considering a future fight with Pereira or Aspinall, Jones views “Poatan” as the matchup that will help his legacy more, which is important to him. After all, it’s why Jones is fighting Miocic, who’s widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, instead of Aspinall, despite the former champ’s three-and-a-half-year layoff.

Pereira, who’s the same age as Jones (37), brings even more to the table in terms of credentials, having claimed the UFC middleweight title by knocking out Israel Adesanya before he moved up to Jones’ old stomping grounds of light heavyweight and winning four consecutive title fights.

If it’s the status of the heavyweight champion that has everyone up in arms about why he should fight Aspinall, Jones is willing to vacate in order to make a Pereira showdown happen.

“It’d be cool to fight (Pereira) for the heavyweight championship, but I would also willingly give up the heavyweight championship,” Jones said. “I walked away from the light heavyweight championship, and I’d love to walk away from this one, as well, on top, on (my) own terms, good head on (my) shoulders, making lots of money. I love the position that I’m in right now.”

Jones even has an idea for the UFC to consider should a fight with Pereira come to fruition.

“Fighting Pereira for the BMF belt, that’d be cool,” Jones said. “We both have two belts in two weight classes. The night we fought, we’d both be fighting for our third belt, which would be the BMF. How cool would that be?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira fights Tom Aspinall for interim heavyweight title after UFC 309

Chael Sonnen expects Tom Aspinall to have to defend his interim heavyweight title again after UFC 309.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] expects [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] to have to defend his interim heavyweight title again after UFC 309.

Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 309 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+).

Jones continued to dismiss Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) as his next opponent if he gets past Miocic, and sees light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) as a more lucrative fight for his legacy. Sonnen sees a different path for the Brit.

“I have always believed – and this is nothing more than rumor, and I back this with a little evidence – but I have always maintained that Pereira’s next fight will be against Aspinall, and it will be for the interim title,” Sonnen said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “I even believe I know when it’s going to be. I believe it’s going to be mid-January in California (UFC 311).”

Sonnen acknowledges that Magomed Ankalaev is the No. 1 contender at light heavyweight and should be next for Pereira. With both Pereira and Aspinall expected to be in attendance for UFC 309, Sonnen thinks both fighters will be inserted into the aftermath of Jones vs. Miocic – but against each other.

“I do believe there’s going to be a panning to both of those guys,” Sonnen said. “I believe there’s going to be a conversation, but not because they’re next for the winner of Jones-Stipe. I think they’re going to find a way to get those two together and the winner will take on Jones or Stipe. That is purely a rumor, but I’m just offering it.

“I’m also hearing that Pereira’s hand isn’t going to be quite ready by December but could be by January and, again, you remove Ankalaev but you insert Aspinall, I just think there’s some legs to that. Now, there has to be certain outcomes. Stipe comes in, he wins this, everything we just said is up in smoke, but I’ve never seen Dana White play checkers. I’ve always seen Dana White be two and three steps ahead, and I’m telling you, I believe the direction they’re looking to go if everything works out, Aspinall-Pereira.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

Max Holloway inspired by UFC champ Alex Pereira’s impressive rebound from knockout loss

Just like Alex Pereira did, Max Holloway hopes he can turn things around after getting knocked out in the octagon.

Just like [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] did, [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] hopes he can turn things around after getting knocked out in the octagon.

Former champion Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) suffered his first-career knockout loss when he was stopped by featherweight champ Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the UFC 308 main event.

Holloway announced that he’ll be making a permanent move up to lightweight, and seeks new life in a weight class above – just like light heavyweight champion Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) did when he lost his middleweight title to Israel Adesanya by knockout at UFC 287.

“155 bro, I cannot wait,” Holloway said during a KICK stream (h/t Championship Rounds). “All I know is, we saw Alex Pereira get finished, right? Next fight he fought for a No. 1 contender spot, (then he) fought for the title and he’s on a spectacular title run. Let’s mimic it. Let’s do it. I get inspiration in that. He’s a beast.”

After losing to Adesanya, Pereira moved up to 205 pounds and defeated ex-champ Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291 to become No. 1 contender. He won the vacant title by knocking out Jiri Prochazka, and has since defended his belt twice with knockouts of Jamahal Hill, and most recently Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 in October.

Prior to his loss to Topuria, Holloway landed in the No. 5 spot in the UFC’s lightweight rankings by scoring an iconic last-second knockout of Justin Gaethje to become BMF champion at UFC 300.

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Jon Jones explains why Alex Pereira fight more appealing than UFC title unification vs. Tom Aspinall

If Jon Jones decides to fight again after UFC 309, he would rather face Alex Pereira than Tom Aspinall.

UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] knows [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] holds a piece of the division’s title, but isn’t interested in a unification bout.

Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) returns to action Nov. 16 to face Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+). It could be the last fight for “Bones” as he has teased a potential retirement.

At 37, with a bonafide Hall of Fame legacy Jones has created as a two-division champion, stepping away from the sport if he defeats Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC), who many view as the best heavyweight champ of all time, would be understandable.

If Jones continues to fight, a title unification bout against current interim heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) appears to be the public’s popular wish. However, Jones doesn’t share the same desire to make that fight happen.

“More than likely not,” Jones told Kevin Iole when asked if he would fight Aspinall after UFC 309. “I feel like Tom Aspinall is, I don’t want to say nobody, but he just hasn’t proven anything. He hasn’t done anything. I understand he won his belt against Sergei, and Sergei just got slaughtered by someone else, so it’s like, I’m not here to gamble someone else making a name off of me.”

Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion by beating Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, the original date for Jones to face Miocic before his pectoral injury. The UFC created an interim title in Jones’ absence, which Aspinall claimed with a first-round knockout.

Aspinall only has one loss in the UFC, which came due to injury 15 seconds into his first meeting with Curtis Blaydes. In a rematch at UFC 304, Aspinall recorded a rare interim title defense by stopping Blaydes with punches in the opening round.

He’s finished every opponent in the UFC, only reaching the second round once. Despite Aspinall’s feats in the heavyweight division, Jones remains unimpressed.

“I’m here to compete against the guys where when we look back, you know, 10 years from now, you’ll be like, ‘Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy, this legend, and that champion and this champion,'” Jones said.

If Jones continues his career after UFC 309, only one fighter on the roster piques his interest.

“If there were to be a fight of a guy that’s still on our UFC roster that would be not only financially worth it, but legacy worth it, it would be Alex Pereira,” Jones said. “We’re both 37 years old. Right now, I weigh about 235. I’m an incredibly light heavyweight. I think Pereira walks around at 240. I think that fight would go much farther on my legacy than a young man who’s cool today, and may be gone tomorrow.

“I remember a time when the whole world thought Johnny Walker was going to be the guy to beat me. No disrespect to Johnny Walker, but we all seen how his career has played out. I’ve just been here too long to get all excited about someone who is hot today. I’m here for legacy. I’ve been gambling way too long just to take random fights.”

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Dricus Du Plessis confident in his power in potential Alex Pereira fight: ‘I will catch you eventually’

Dricus Du Plessis wouldn’t shy away from standing with Alex Pereira if they fought.

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] wouldn’t shy away from standing with [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] if they fought.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) hopes to get a crack at light heavyweight champion Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) down the line, and he likes his chances against him. Du Plessis insists strength would not be an issue, but acknowledges range likely would.

Du Plessis overcame that range in his most recent outing against Israel Adesanya, where he was able to hurt him on the feet then submit him to retain his title at UFC 305.

“If I’m talking about just the stand up exchanges, I’m not fighting a kickboxing fight,” Du Plessis told Submission Radio. “I’m fighting an MMA fight, and a kickboxing fight, you need to be able to land combos. You need to land massive punches the whole time. Get a guy rocked, you get an eight-count – you have all those variables. Where in MMA, I don’t care who you are: If I catch you clean with those small gloves, you’re going to go down, and I am going to catch you eventually.

“Now, I said it with Izzy. He said I’m too slow. I wouldn’t be able to catch him. Well, yeah. Like, I made a post yesterday saying maybe it’s not pretty, but damn, it’s effective because I will catch you eventually, and then it’s a whole different story because I’m not engaging in a kickboxing fight. I’m punching, and I’m kicking, but it’s not a kickboxing fight. It’s an MMA fight, and when I put those together, it’s a different fight.”

Du Plessis paid Pereira plenty of respect, and wouldn’t even fault him if he decided to retire before he gets a chance to fight him. But after watching Pereira’s most recent title defense against Khalil Rountree – a violent Round 4 TKO at UFC 307, the South African fighter thinks Pereira is hittable.

“I honestly believe that with a guy like Alex Pereira, he has power,” Du Plessis said. “I have a lot of power, too. Yes, he has crisp striking. His striking is incredible. That’s why he has the kickboxing resume he has. But we saw with the Khalil Rountree fight – we saw a lot of things. Khalil had  success in those first two rounds. He really did.”

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Daniel Cormier: It wouldn’t ‘be a great choice’ for Magomed Ankalaev to just stand with Alex Pereira

Daniel Cormier implores Magomed Ankalaev to mix things up against Alex Pereira.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] implores [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] to mix things up against [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) appears to have finally cemented himself as No. 1 light heavyweight contender when he extended his unbeaten streak to 13 with a win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.

If a title fight against Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is next, Ankalaev vows to knock “Poatan” out on the feet. But with Pereira’s past four opponents falling victim to his striking prowess, Cormier thinks it would be a mistake on Ankalaev’s part not to utilize his grappling.

“I thought he fought well,” Cormier said of Ankalaev during a Q&A session prior to the UFC Fight Night 246 ceremonial weigh-ins. “I mean, he’s a tough guy. He didn’t wrestle at all. I don’t know if that’s kind of just showing us that he’s willing to stand with Pereira.

“I don’t know if that would be a great choice if he was fighting him, but he’s as good as they come. I thought that he fought well. I felt that his opponent fought well – Rakic. I thought it was a good fight. You know, it’s hard. When you get the elite of the elite, at times, it looks like that, and I thought we saw a pretty good fight.”

However, Ankalaev continues to insist on standing with former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion Pereira if they fight.

“I was offered three dates December, February, and March and I agreed to all three dates I have to win by KO I have no problem. It is condition.”