Alex Pereira Says Jon Jones Showdown Is ‘Inevitable’ After Tom Aspinall Fight

Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones is still on. Or at least that’s what Poatan has claimed. Fresh off his victory over Stipe Miocic, Jones had expressed his desire to face Pereira, but the UFC had other plans. Pereira, however, sees the writing on the wall and deems the matchup fated but with one catch: Jones has win against Tom Aspinall first.

“That is his next challenge. But I think if he gets past Tom Aspinall, it is going to be inevitable.”

 

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Jones was technically bound to face Aspinall upon his return from injury. Aspinall, in his absence, had won the interim heavyweight title and by MMA law, he had the first right to a fight against the undisputed champion. However, Jones was adamant about facing Miococ, and the UFC, as they always have, indulged him. 

Miocic was 42 at the time with 3 years of inactivity behind him. It was always going to be a walkover for Jones. But the ease with which he actually managed to win reinforced UFC CEO Dana White’s stance against a potential super fight between Jones and Pereira.

White had always been hesitant about the matchup before UFC 309, claiming that he actually liked Pereira and it made no sense for him to match him up with someone with a ground game as good as Jones. 

“Jon’s too big, too good a wrestler.”

Still, White hinted he might reconsider if both fighters relentlessly pushed for it. The bossman is not opposed to allowing Jones to have ‘fun fights’ but he must first do his duty to the division and fight the interim champion. 

And then who knows, Poatan might get his chance to become the company’s first ever triple champion.

That said, there’s another heavyweight champion, who wants to test his might against Jones. But if Mr.White isn’t sure about Pereira, he was never going to let this happen!

Ngannou’s Jones callout

Despite being a dream matchup for MMA fans, White has made it clear: Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou isn’t happening anytime soon. Ngannou, who left the UFC on rocky terms, has continued his reign of dominance in the PFL, most recently scoring a stunning first-round knockout to win the heavyweight title. 

When he was in the UFC as its heavyweight champion, Ngannou and Jones were supposed to have a crack at each other but Jones stayed away for three years, only to return to the octagon just weeks after the Cameroonian fighter’s contract expired.

However, a few days ago, Ngannou re-ignited those fires by challenging Jones to a fight.

Blessings make haters uncomfortable, but they can’t change it.
There’s only one fight, the right fight that will multiply your blessings.#NgannouVSJones https://t.co/7HhNDM4OD6

— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 30, 2024

However, despite the hype, White quickly shot down the idea, re-iterating firmly that Jones’ next fight would be against interim champion Tom Aspinall—no exceptions.