Alex Pereira isn’t going to keep waiting for Jon Jones like Tom Aspinall.
Mainly because he doesn’t think it’s necessary.
“Poitan” defeated Magomed Ankalaev by knockout in the first round at UFC 320, once again reaching the top of the mixed martial arts world. A quick finish tied him with Ankalaev, who defeated Pereira at UFC 313 in March, making Pereira a two-time light heavyweight champion.
Pereira may next defend his title against powerhouse Carlos Wolberg, but there is speculation that he might move up to heavyweight or sign on for a much-discussed megafight with recently retired (and non-retired) UFC star Jon Jones. He believes Jones is keen to make the fight happen once Pereira and his team get the gears into motion.
“I don’t think so, because that’s what he wants in an interview,” Pereira said Friday during a Q&A in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when asked if he would have to wait a long time to hear from Jones. “I think he’s a little older in this sport, like me, and we don’t have time to waste. I think he’s sincere, whether he’s interested or not.”
Jones received heavy criticism from media and fans for not fighting interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, despite officially holding the promotion’s undisputed title. While Aspinall had made it clear for months that he was interested in unifying the belts, Jones instead announced in June that he would briefly retire and relinquish his share of the heavyweight championship before coming out of retirement for a chance to fight at the UFC White House tournament next June.
Either way, a matchup between Jones (who has lost just once by disqualification in his 30-fight career) and Pereira is sure to generate a lot of interest if a deal is finalized. For now, Pereira is keeping his cards close to the vest as to how the fight will unfold.
“This is mixed martial arts,” Pereira said. “For those of you who know my work, I always say in interviews that you either lose or win, but I will do my best and set myself up to win.”
Pereira, a former kickboxing star, has achieved incredible feats in MMA despite only competing 16 times under the MMA rules set. He won the UFC middleweight title with a late knockout of longtime rival Israel Adesanya in his eighth professional fight, and defeated Jiri Prochaska in his 11th professional fight to win the UFC light heavyweight title. He defended that title three times in a row in 2024, winning each time by KO/TKO.
Pereira is a solid member of the UFC Hall of Fame and arguably one of the greatest fighters of this era, but I’m not interested in speculating whether a win over Jones would put him ahead of Jones on the list of all-time greats.
“The results and records are not in my control,” Pereira said. “Sometimes we do something and the people who are supposed to validate it don’t do it. I just do my job. If they think I’m the best, second or worst, that’s not within my control.”
Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.