In a revealing interview with Kevin Iole prior to UFC 309, heavyweight champion Jon Jones made clear his stance on his future in the Octagon. It seems he is prioritizing a possible confrontation with Alex Pereira and ruling out interim champion Tom Aspinall, generating a new chapter of controversy in the UFC’s heaviest division. Jones spelled out his vision for the future of his career, focusing on fights that add to his legacy rather than matchups against emerging talent. He said that if a fight with someone on the UFC roster is worth it financially and for his legacy, it would be Alex Pereira. However, UFC legend Daniel Cormier believes that there is an ulterior motive behind this plan. One, that was exposed by the UFC pundit on his YouTube channel.

In a recent Q&A video uploaded on his channel, Cormier revealed the main reason Jones is pushing for a fight against Pereira is because of the stylistic advantage he would have over the Brazilian striker. As per DC, ‘Bones’ would find it easier to suppress Pereira’s strikes by wrestling him to the ground, and takedown defense is not a strong suit of ‘Poatan.’ A ‘glaring hole’ in the game that would be exposed easily. “He would just wrestle him. So, yes, financially it would make sense, and it would be much less risky because of that glaring hole in the matchup.” 

He further added, “I don’t know if Alex Pereira can defend takedowns against the best guys. He’s wrestling Glover; I’m sure Glover’s teaching him how to defend takedowns. I’m sure Glover, who’s a tremendous wrestler himself, has him prepared, but I don’t know how he will do in live action against a truly elite-level high wrestler. So yeah, Jon would prefer that matchup because it’s much less risky than fighting Tom Aspinall.”

There is another angle to this too. Aspinall is a natural heavyweight, while Pereira is a former middleweight who has now found his footing at light heavyweight. For Pereira to bulk up and face Jones at heavyweight, it would be new hunting grounds for the Brazilian. Jones will have had some experience against heavyweight elites by the time Pereira moves up. Perhaps this could be an advantage too?

Well, the points made by Daniel Cormier in the video make sense. The former kickboxer Alex Pereira is an elite striker, but Jon Jones was a wrestler who was recruited by all the biggest universities in the country. And as all UFC fans are aware by now, wrestlers do have an advantage over strikers, especially when they are much larger in size than their opponents. However, Jones still believes that Pereira would be a better fight statistically.

Jones’ Reasons for choosing Pereira

The heavyweight champion has detailed technical aspects that make this possible confrontation attractive. Jon Jones stated that both he and Alex Pereira are 37 years old and have similar weight. This similarity in age and weight suggests a more balanced matchup from Jones’ perspective. Jones’s stance toward Tom Aspinall has been particularly critical as well since he believes Aspinall hasn’t proved anything yet in the UFC.

The undisputed champion emphasized the importance of legacy at this stage of his career, as he said, “I’m here to compete against the guys where, when we look back like 10 years from now, we’ll go, ‘Jon Jones fought this guy and that guy and this legend and that champion and this champion.” Despite Aspinall’s impressive record in the UFC (8-1), with all his victories by knockout or submission in the first two rounds, Jones still believes that Aspinall has yet to establish himself.

This statement comes at a crucial time, with Jones preparing to defend his title against Stipe Miočić at UFC 309, as rumors about his potential retirement continue to circulate. Jones’s decision to prioritize a matchup with Pereira over Aspinall could redefine the landscape of the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions in the UFC. What do you think? Who would be a better opponent for Jones? Let us know in the comments.