Jon Jones eyes potential matchups post-Stipe Miocic fight, following Alex Pereira's UFC 303 victory: "Options are looking crazy right now"
Jon Jones did not call him out by name but he seems interested in an Alex Pereira fight per a recent tweet. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion is still targeting a Stipe Miocic clash but Jones seems less concrete on his previous notion of retiring after that fight transpires.
In the wake of UFC 303, Pereira finished Jiri Prochazka in their rematch to notch the second defense of his light heavyweight title. A head kick with follow-up ground and pound punches early in round two saw 'Poatan' go 2-0 over Prochazka and many are buzzing about it.
In the past, Jones has indicated interest in a Pereira fight and the discourse seemed to ramp up more following 'Poatan' retaining his 205-pound belt at UFC 300 vs. Jamahal Hill.
There is a lot of discussion about Pereira chasing history to become a three-division UFC champion, Jones is the most decorated light heavyweight champion ever as well as the current heavyweight titleholder, and the possible prizefight has all the makings for a historic matchup.
Recently on X, @SS_mma asked Jones:
"You retiring after stipe?"
Jones retweeted a response to this fan and stated:
"Honestly, it's hard to say right now, I'm gonna base a lot of that on my next performance. The options are looking crazy right now."
Check out Jon Jones' comments on social media regarding his MMA future below
Jon Jones and his legacy compared to Alex Pereira's
Jon Jones is regarded by many as the greatest of all time of MMA but many are also noticing Pereira speed running his way towards all-time great status. Jones has had multiple reigns as the 205-pound champion with his first reign seeing him cement himself as the all-time leader in light heavyweight title defenses.
The 36-year-old would put together eight title defenses in this first stint as titleholder with victories over Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Daniel Cormier.
'Bones' would have a later reign with the strap that saw him notch three defenses over Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Dominick Reyes before focusing on a move to heavyweight. After a lengthy hiatus, Jones would return to join an elite class of two-division UFC title holders when he submitted Ciryl Gane in round one to become the heavyweight champion.
The native of New York state has an impressive legacy but Pereira has quickly written himself into the history books as well. The former two-division Glory kickboxing champion has become the only man to become middleweight champion and light heavyweight champion in the UFC.
The public sentiment wanting him to chase unprecedented status by becoming a three-division champion leads to either interim champ Tom Aspinall or lineal champion Jones. Nothing has been confirmed but either matchup would vault Pereira into rarefied air all by himself and send a shock of electricity through the MMA landscape.