Jon Jones sings Alex Pereira's praises after "amazing" encounter with the Brazilian at Noche UFC 306
Jon Jones praised Alex Pereira after their recent interaction at Noche UFC 306. Pereira and Jones were seated next to each other at the venue and interacted cordially during the event.
While there have been talks of a potential superfight between the two, there seemed to be no sense of animosity or competitive tension in their viral photos from the event.
Speaking to Clocked N Loaded after Noche UFC 306, Jones said about Pereira:
"[Alex] Pereira was amazing. He was so humble. Just big, strong, and just an awesome guy, an awesome champion."
Check out Jon Jones' comments here.
Jones and Pereira are the champions of the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions, respectively. The talks of Pereira's move up to heavyweight have been getting louder, especially after his UFC 303 win over Jiri Prochazka.
Jones, who has been on the sidelines due to a pectoral tear, had opined that the potential superfight would be commercially more successful than a title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall.
Alex Pereira wants the experience of training alongside Jon Jones
Jon Jones will attempt the first defense of his heavyweight title against former two-time champion Stipe Miocic in the legacy-defining UFC 309 fight in November. In the aforementioned interview with Clocked N Loaded, Jones confirmed that it would most likely be his retirement fight.
Meanwhile, Pereira will attempt the third defense of his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307, approximately six weeks before Jones vs. Miocic.
While sharing his thoughts on Jones after the Noche UFC 306 event, Pereira told Full Send MMA that he would be willing to train with 'Bones' in preparation for the Miocic fight. 'Poatan' added:
"Jon is heavyweight-sized and I feel like I am heavyweight-sized too. Today, I thought he looked more athletic, more fit than the last time he fought. I want to get his experience. Sometimes people say he is going to fight one or two times more. I don't know if I will be able to share the cage with him but at least I want to get the experience of training with him." [Translated by Plinio Cruz]
Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (2:19):