Alex Pereira has subtle reaction to Jon Jones' UFC callout

Tim Bissell

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Publish Date: 11/22/2024

Alex Pereira likely watched UFC 309 unfold on Saturday night with vested interest. When he saw Jon Jones defeat Stipe Miocic via third round TKO, the UFC light heavyweight champ might have sensed his next match-up.

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been very vocal about wanting to fight Alex Pereira. Whether Jones genuinely wants to test himself against the KO artist or if he's just using Pereira to drive up his price tag for a fight with Tom Aspinall remains to be seen.

But whether Jones' interest in Pereira is genuine or not, Poatan certainly seems interested in a date with Bones. Or at least that's what he's suggesting on social media.

How did Alex Pereira respond to Jon Jones' UFC 309 victory?

Alex Pereira's response to Jon Jones' UFC 309 victory was as understated as you'd expect, from the often stoic champ.

After he beat Stipe Miocic to retain his UFC heavyweight title, Jon Jones was rather coy on what is next for him. Inside the cage he revealed that he was unlikely to retire. However, when pressed by Joe Rogan, he would not name who he'd like to fight next.

In the UFC 309 post-fight press conference Jones dropped his guard a little. There he discussed potential match-ups with either Pereira or interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

And, just like before the Miocic fight, Jones seemed more intrigued with a fight against Pereira than his fellow heavyweight.

Pereira was paying attention to the press conference, as demonstrated by his social media activity. The Brazilian shared a clip of Jones talking about a potential fight with him over on Instagram (which was shared on X by Championship Rounds).

Jon Jones discussing potentially fighting Alex Pereira in UFC.

It's not exactly "I'll be your huckleberry", but it's a pretty big indication that Pereira has some interest in fighting the former light heavyweight champion.

And we've seen this ploy from Pereira before. Prior to UFC 309 Pereira shared a picture of Dana White holding the novelty BMF belt with the caption "Chama my brother... Let's make them wait..." The post suggested that Pereira and Bones meet, perhaps at catchweight, to contend for a BMF title.

This post came soon after Jones told Sportsnet that he'd willingly walk away from the heavyweight title to fight Pereira. “I walked away from the light heavyweight championship. I’d love to walk away from this one as well, on top, on my own terms,” he said.

Alex Pereira responds to Dana White on potential Jon Jones UFC fight.

How do Pereira and Jon Jones match-up?

Alex Pereira and Jon Jones are two of the UFC top fighters and box office draws.

The 37-year-old Pereira stands at 6'4" and has a 79 inch reach. He last weighed in at 205 lbs, but it's been speculated that his 'walk around weight' is close to 230 lbs.

Jones is also 37-years-old and 6'4". His famous reach is just over 84 inches. He weighed in at 237 lbs for UFC 309. Jones' likely weighed around 250 lbs during the actual fight.

Pereira's MMA record stands at 12-2. Jones, who has been in the UFC since he was 21-years-old, has 28-1 (1) record.

Pereira's short record is due to his long time fighting in GLORY kickboxing. His only losses in MMA are in his 2015 debut back in Jungle Fights and in his second UFC fight against Israel Adesanya.

Jones' lone loss is a DQ against Matt Hamill in 2009. His no contest is due to a drug test failure. Initially that fight was a KO win over Daniel Cormier.