Jon Jones wants to fight Alex Pereira next. But sports analyst extraordinaire, Stephen A. Smith, thinks there is just no chance that the fight would be competitive. Speaking on his ‘First Take’ show on ESPN, the analyst felt that Pereira being a light heavyweight was just too small to take on the heavyweight version of ‘Bones’ and hope to emerge victorious.

“Jon ‘Bones’ Jones is just on an entirely different level. Here’s the only thing that I disagree with Jon ‘Bones’ Jones about. You know he wants to fight Alex Pereira, all right. Alex Pereira, let me say this, that dude, that brother is something special himself. But he’s under-sized,” the NBA analyst said.

Smith’s opinion about this potential bout is not entirely wrong. After all, Pereira usually walks about at 230lbs whereas ‘Bones’ specifically took over three years to attain a weight that would help him to fully utilize every fiber against his opponents. The MMA GOAT was around 240lbs at the official weigh-ins and even more on the night of the bout. This extra muscle helped Jones to put up the kind of performance that he did in the UFC 309 main event against Miocic.

“I know he’s got the power, he can’t mess with no Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. He’s got no shot, you know. I just don’t see it. If you’re moving up because Alex Pereira was at a different, at a higher weight class, that would be different. But with Jon ‘Bones’ Jones now at the heavyweight spot and you fighting that guy, he’s got no chance,” the NBA analyst added comparing the power dynamic between the two champions.

UFC CEO Dana White, too, has expressed reservations about a possible Jones-Pereira clash on similar grounds. Speaking at the UFC 309 post-fight presser, White explained to reporters that he couldn’t see a reason for the fight since the Brazilian was smaller and didn’t have much grappling skills, which might make him easy prey for ‘Bones’. He added that he wouldn’t make that fight unless both men “hounded” him. However, the head honcho was quite certain about one thing.

Dana White gives his opinion on a potential Jones-Aspinall clash

Following the UFC 309 extravaganza, the buzz of a potential unification bout between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones has increased tenfold. And the chances for that too, have gone up significantly since UFC 309. This is because Dana White spoke positively of the clash and termed it “the biggest heavyweight showdown” in the history of the promotion.

Before the event, ‘Bones’ had outright dismissed a clash with the Englishman for a bevy of (unconvincing) reasons. But at the post-fight presser, the ‘undisputed’ champ said he would be willing to fight Aspinall. But only if the UFC offers him a record-breaking purse to do so. Just how much that is, however, is uncertain.

For reference, Jones is estimated to have pocketed somewhere between 5-7 million dollars for the Miocic fight this weekend. And the amount Jones wants to face the Englishman may be double that and even more.

Of course, some feel that this may just be a way for the MMA GOAT to price himself out of facing Aspinall. However, things are slowly but surely starting to align in the direction that the fight community wants. What do you think about Stephen A. Smith’s take on a potential Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira matchup? Tell us in the comment section below!