Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira at heavyweight? Laura Sanko believes 'Bones' would be tempted to not let 'Poatan' "steal his shine"
A potential Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira showdown has been a much-discussed dream matchup in the combat sports community. MMA fighter-turned-analyst Laura Sanko has weighed in on the same in the wake of 'Poatan's' latest victory.
Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira is fresh off a second-round TKO win over former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jiri Prochazka in their rematch at UFC 303 (June 29, 2024).
On the other hand, Jones, who's a former UFC light heavyweight champion and the reigning UFC heavyweight champion, hasn't competed since his heavyweight title-winning performance against Ciryl Gane in March 2023.
'Bones' was booked to defend the heavyweight belt against former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in Nov. 2023, but a pectoral injury ruled him out of the Miocic matchup. Jones subsequently underwent elbow surgery, too. Speculation has abounded that he might retire after his fight against fellow MMA legend Miocic.
In an appearance on Submission Radio, UFC analyst and commentator Laura Sanko addressed various topics. Host Denis Shkuratov notably asserted that he feels Pereira could be the one who could lure Jones for another fight down the track.
Sanko responded by implying that Jones is viewed as the MMA G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), and many fans have lately been hailing Pereira as one of the G.O.A.T.s.
Furthermore, Sanko alluded that Pereira has often spoken about possibly moving up to heavyweight and capturing the UFC heavyweight title to become the UFC's first three-division champion. Opining that Jon Jones would view 'Poatan' as a good stylistic matchup and want to beat him, she stated:
"I agree because I think that Jon, rightfully so, is going to be very picky about who his opponents are going to be from now until eternity -- however long that lasts, whether that's one fights, two fights, three fights. You know, I don't know it gets much longer than that."
She added:
"And I think this is the type of enticement that Jon would really, really enjoy because I think Jon would like his chances. I think Jon would like to play spoiler to someone trying to steal his shine. Someone trying to enter that G.O.A.T. conversation, he wants to shut the door. I love it."
Check out Laura Sanko's comments below (8:00):
When Dana White cleared the air on Jon Jones calling for Alex Pereira matchup
Following his UFC 303 victory, Alex Pereira reiterated that he's willing to move up to heavyweight and pursue three-division champion status. UFC CEO Dana White seemed open to it. However, Jon Jones currently holds the heavyweight title, and Tom Aspinall is scheduled to defend the interim heavyweight title in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes.
The Jones-Miocic winner would likely defend the heavyweight belt against the Aspinall-Blaydes winner next, provided that Jones or Miocic don't retire after fighting each other. That said, earlier this year, 'Bones' suggested that he could defend his belt against Alex Pereira.
During the UFC St. Louis (May 11, 2024) post-fight press conference, White cleared the confusion by noting that Jones was simply trying to gauge fan interest in his potentially fighting Pereira. Emphasizing that Jones will fight Miocic next, White said:
"Kind of just feeling it out, seeing what people think. But he knows he's fighting Stipe."
Watch White discuss the topic below (4:05):