Jon Jones and Alex Pereira wish to battle one another in the course of the deliberate UFC occasion in June on the White Home.
Two of the UFC’s greatest stars publicly referred to as out one another Saturday within the instant aftermath of the UFC heavyweight title battle between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. Jones is a former heavyweight champion who retired earlier this 12 months quite than settle for a battle towards Aspinall, whereas Pereira is the sunshine heavyweight champion with an inventory of potential contenders in his personal weight class.
The UFC has been hesitant to ebook a battle between Jones and Pereira for these causes, however with Saturday’s title battle leading to a historic no-contest attributable to an eye-poke, Jones and Pereira noticed a chance to state their instances.
“Let’s make the heavyweight division nice once more,” Pereira wrote on Instagram.
“Alex, I would be all the way down to deliver the best ability degree to the White Home,” Jones responded. “I admire the respect you confirmed, let’s dance.”
UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly stated that the promotion has not but mentioned particular bouts for the White Home occasion, which President Donald Trump has stated will occur June 14. White has stated, nonetheless, that he doesn’t belief Jones sufficient to permit him to headline the cardboard, as Jones has a historical past of non-public and authorized points which have impacted his availability to compete.
Jones (28-1) is extensively thought of the best UFC fighter of all time. He stays the youngest champion in UFC historical past, successful his first title at 23. He captured the heavyweight belt in 2023 and defended it as soon as earlier than retiring from MMA in 2025. Shortly after asserting his retirement, and making it clear he didn’t want to face Aspinall, Jones stated he would come out of retirement to battle on the White Home occasion.
Pereira (13-3) is a two-weight champion within the UFC and kickboxing. He has a number of potential title challengers at 205 kilos, however would like to maneuver to heavyweight in his subsequent bout. Earlier this month, Pereira revealed that he had deliberate to name out Jones after his most up-to-date battle at UFC 320 in Las Vegas, however refrained after the sudden loss of life of Jones’ older brother, retired NFL lineman Arthur Jones.