Jon Jones is more assured than ever that he'd beat Alex Pereira in a heavyweight fight. Jones repeatedly angled for a fight with his fellow former light heavyweight champion. Though it hasn't come to fruition, Pereira's failed heavyweight debut only reinforced Jones' confidence.
Jones isn't sold on Pereira as a heavyweight. "Bones" hasn't fought professionally since defending the heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic in November 2024, but he's kept a close eye on Pereira. "Poatan" is committed to heavyweight despite a second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane in his weight class debut at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Everything Jones has seen makes him believe Pereira would be easy pickings.
"I watched Pereira train," Jones told ALF Global in a pre-recorded interview released on Tuesday. "I see his level of wrestling, and it's way behind. I feel as if Stipe Miocic is a true heavyweight. He's a big, big boy. Ciryl Gane, when you see him in person, he's a big, big boy. Alex Pereira is not a big, big boy. He's a lean guy. I think right now he weighs maybe 250."
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Jones ruled over the light heavyweight division before capturing the heavyweight title. Pereira, a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion, sought to win a historic third division title. Unfortunately, Pereira looked diminutive against a natural heavyweight like Gane. Jones believes heavyweight would be a bridge too far for Pereira, even against him.
"I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much for him," Jones said. "I felt as if the moment I would have gotten him to the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly. I mean, everyone knows that. I think that's the clearest path to victory for me against Alex Pereira. But we're not fighting. I am a fan of him. I support him, and I want to see him do well."
Jones returned to the UFC drug testing pool less than two months after announcing his retirement and vacating the heavyweight title. However, there's no guarantee that he'll fight again. The UFC must contractually offer him a certain number of fights per year, but Jones isn't obligated to accept. He previously campaigned for a fight with Pereira that never materialized and chose to vacate the championship rather than unify it with Tom Aspinall, the interim champion at the time. These days, Jones' primary focus is coaching U.S. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, who made a successful debut at UFC 329.
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