Dana White Shuts Down Jones vs Pereira
Dana White Shuts Down Jones vs Pereira
By Tim Burke November 19, 2024 21:42
After UFC 309, one thing has been made clear: The MMA world belongs to Jon Jones. A man who has been a championship-caliber fighter for nearly 15 years, hailed as the greatest of all time by the promotion's CEO and the majority of the fans. The sport's most controversial figure, Jon Jones is the biggest star in the UFC today, especially with Conor McGregor absent from the sport for over three years.
It makes sense that the sport's biggest name would want to clash with a fellow great such as Alex Pereira, the most feared fighter in Jones’s former division, light heavyweight.
Two-division champion vs. two-division champion. Poatan is the likely winner of the UFC’s Fighter of the Year award, as the 37-year-old champion made history at UFC 307 with three title defenses in just 175 days.
Alex Pereira is the biggest UFC star who could fight Jon Jones. It is a fight Jon Jones wants.
“I want to take what I find to be super fights. I don’t want to fight dangerous up-and-comers anymore. I want to fight dangerous, established champions. So Tom can have the heavyweight championship, I don’t really care about it. My value doesn’t lie in belts anymore. I’ve created something much bigger. I want Pereira.” Jones told reporters during his media availability before UFC 309.
Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones is undoubtedly a super fight. As Alex Pereira continues to dominate the light heavyweight division, he deserves an opportunity to fight at heavyweight. Unfortunately, Dana White does not see it that way.
“ You know what tonight told me. There’s no way I make the Pereira fight. He’s too big.” Dana White told reporters during his UFC 309 post-fight press conference.
The thing is, Jones isn’t too big for Alex Pereira. Both men are 6 foot 4, and Jones weighed in at 238 pounds for his fight against Stipe Miocic. Pereira walks around at about 235 pounds and cuts thirty pounds to compete at light heavyweight.
I do not believe the UFC should never make the Jon Jones vs Alex Pereira fight. Despite Jones's significant advantage in gripping, Jon Jones is right. That it is a super fight.
Whether Jon Jones likes it or not, he is the biggest heel in the UFC. That is a good thing for him. He sells tickets that way. He is one of the biggest stars in the sport because of it. Alex Pereira is arguably the most beloved fighter in the sport today. They should meet. However, Dana White shutting down this fight is a positive sign for the fight that the people really want, the biggest fight the UFC can make in 2025, Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall.
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