Dana White lays out a plan for Jon Jones to get Alex Pereira fight after UFC 309
UFC CEO Dana White sees a way where Jon Jones does fight Alex Pereira.
Jones is set to defend his heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 309 on Saturday against Stipe Miocic. It’s an intriguing matchup and should Jones win, he has made it clear he will fight Pereira next or retire.
Jon Jones says he has no interest in facing Tom Aspinall who is the interim heavyweight champion. However, White says he will only make the Jones-Pereira fight if ‘Bones’ face Aspinall next.
"If Jon Jones wins and retires on Saturday Tom Aspinall will be the heavyweight champion..
I think Jon Jones should fight Tom Aspinall if he wins..
As long as he's active in the UFC he's the pound for pound best fighter in the world"@danawhite #PMSLive https://t.co/4eScbs1Zws pic.twitter.com/CCeFHlvzRu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 15, 2024
“Obviously a guy like Jon Jones has had a career, if he wants something we would do it,” Dana White said on The Pat McAfee Show. “But, you can’t just do a fun fight and not fight the interim heavyweight champion, the guy who is next, because if Jon Jones retired on Saturday, Tom Aspinall would be the heavyweight champion. So, opportunities were given to Jon Jones. He was 23, he was the youngest champion of all time. Now, as he sits where he sits, it’s his obligation to give it to the younger guy to give him that opportunity. If he beats Tom Aspinall, then yes, I would do the Alex Pereira fight.”
Even if the Pereira fight is guaranteed if Jones faces Aspinall next, it’s still uncertain if ‘Bones’ would take the bout.
Jon Jones explains why he doesn’t want to fight Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones has made it clear he doesn’t have an interest in facing Tom Aspinall.
Jones says fighting and beating Aspinall does nothing for his career, which is why he called for a fight with Alex Pereira.
“He changes nothing if I beat him. Beating Tom is just like beating Ciryl Gane,” Jones said at UFC 309 media day. “He has a whole country behind him. He’s hot right now. What happens to me after I beat him? Nothing changes for me. So, I’m not ducking Tom Aspinall. If I failed to fight Stipe, I would be ducking Stipe, because we contractually have been signed up to fight over a year ago. This is Stipe’s position.
“The Tom narrative came out of nowhere,” Jones continued. “He won a belt, and now suddenly I’m ducking him. I’ve never had negotiations to even fight him, if this makes sense. So, the fans are just ignoring it. They’re ignoring all logic, and they just have finally found someone that they think can compete with me, and everyone wants to see it now.”
But, before any of those fights can happen, Jon Jones will need to beat Stipe Miocic on Saturday at UFC 309.
