Alex Pereira’s win against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, has brought up the question: Who is next for the Brazilian? The obvious answer would be the #2 ranked light heavyweight fighter, Magomed Ankalaev. But what if there is a better fight that we are overlooking?

You see, ‘Poatan’ has been eyeing a potential move to the heavyweight division. He wants to make history in the UFC by becoming the only one to win a belt in three different divisions. But let us not forget that Jon Jones is the heavyweight king and getting to the top will be no easy task for Pereira.

Jones versus Pereira? That’s what Brendan Schaub wants to see. He posted a short clip of himself on Instagram, where he was heard talking about what should be next for Pereira. “Jon Jones is the fight. You have him fight the greatest of all time. You pay Jon Jones what he’s worth. You do Alex versus Jon Jones. It’s actually the only fight to make. Jon Jones versus Alex has to be next.”

Now that’s an opinion that received backlash from social media users. The UFC interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, has been waiting eagerly to fight Jon Jones and have a shot at the championship belt. On the other hand, Ankalaev has waited even longer to have a fight scheduled against the light heavyweight champion. And the fight fans have repeatedly claimed that Jones vs. Pereira would be a ridiculous matchup, given that there are pretty strong contenders in their divisions.

But Schaub was thinking from a businessman’s perspective. He continued, “I’m talking about straight business. Vince McMahon-WWE style. How are we gonna make money? It’s the winner of Jon Jones-Stipe, or bust. Everything else, we can’t, it kinda f***s up everything, dude.”

Well, Schaub wasn’t alone in thinking of the fight between the champions. Even Conor McGregor seemed to believe that Alex Pereira is ready. Right after UFC 307, the ‘Mystic Mac’ pointed out, “Pereira is just about ready for heavyweight now imo. Him vs Jones would be amazing to watch! A chance to go 3 weight.”

We can’t disagree with McGregor here. However, there is a possibility that Jon Jones’s ground game could be too overwhelming for Pereira. After all, the Brazilian’s kickboxing background makes him formidable on his feet, but if ‘Bones’ takes him down, that could be the end of the fight and potentially, Pereira’s stone-cold aura. But is the Brazilian truly ready for the transition?

What does Alex Pereira think about moving to heavyweight?

Right after he defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. with his strong fists in the fourth round of their bout at UFC 307, Pereira revealed what he truly thought of fighting Jones and moving to the heavier weight class. Talking to Joe Rogan inside the Octagon, he said, “I can move up to heavyweight, but this situation is great. I feel great with this [205-pound] weight cut and this is where I’m at.”

However, the ‘Mystic Mac’ wasn’t convinced. In a video he posted on social media, McGregor claimed, “Heavyweight, don’t lie to yourself. That was a heavy [weight] cut.” Nevertheless, this wasn’t the first time when Alex Pereira has seemed doubtful about a move, even though he publicly shared he wanted to move to heavyweight. 

On the other side, ‘Bones’ has only a handful of fights left in his contract. Previously, he declared that he would take retirement following one more fight after facing Stipe Miocic. And that definitely doesn’t leave much room open for a discussion about Pereira vs. Jones. But with the entire world eyeing the matchup, Dana White might just make the fight happen. Here’s one more thing!

Pereira is 37 and so is Jones. In case the promotion is looking at a potential fight between the two, they will have to be quick.

As of now, Jones will be focused on his next fight: UFC 309 against Stipe Miocic. What are your predictions for this fight?