The UFC’s White House event was supposed to be historic. Superfights, legends, politics, and spectacle—the full package. And, in the midst of the early fantasy matchups, one fight that kept coming up: Jon Jones versus Alex Pereira. It seemed almost too perfect. Two dominant kings of their divisions, two different eras, and one grand stage.

However, it all came crumbling down when Jon Jones unknowingly revealed on tape that he has severe arthritis in his left hip, which qualifies him for a hip replacement. And as one can guess, that means no fighting for the former heavyweight champion. This is something that may seem reasonable to many, except Pereira, as ‘Poatan’ claims that just like with Tom Aspinall, ‘Bones’ is simply trying to duck another difficult fight.

Alex Pereira questions Jon Jones’ arthritis explanation

“Come on, every athlete I have chronic injuries, serious injuries,” Alex Pereira said on Valter Walker‘s YouTube channel. “If any high-level athlete, given their history, were to say something like that, it wouldn’t be news to me.

Man, I want them to put themselves in front of me. I am going to fight. I love fighting, so it doesn’t matter weight classes. Of course, if you say middleweight, I can’t make that anymore. At the other two divisions, light heavyweight and heavyweight, [the opponent] is indifferent to me.”

It wasn’t aggressive, nor loud. But the light heavyweight champion’s words surely carried weight. Pereira’s reputation is built on fighting through damage rather than talking about it. To him, injuries are part of the job description, not headlines.

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And that is the real message. If Jones is unable to cut or gain weight, Alex Pereira will move up or down accordingly. If the White House card needs a star, he’s prepared. If heavyweight needs saving while Tom Aspinall recovers, he’ll take that risk too.

At 38, ‘Poatan’ isn’t talking about legacy management, something that fans often bring up, as Jon Jones also gave out a hundred reasons not to fight Tom Aspinall. He’s referring to movement—”1-2-3 and go,” as he teased on social media. Whether Jones’ hip heals or not, Pereira’s stance is clear: excuses don’t interest him. Fights do.

However, it seems like not every fight has to be fought by the Brazilian powerhouse. Weeks after Khamzat Chimaev‘s call-out to Pereira for a clash at the White House, Team Borz’s coach has sent out a warning towards ‘Poatan.’

Coach Alan Nascimento gives Pereira a heads up

Pereira’s willingness to fight anyone and anyplace is impressive. But from Khamzat Chimaev’s side, that approach could be exactly what they’re looking for. While ‘Poatan’ discusses moving up and chasing a third belt, Team Chimaev sees opportunity—and risk.

“If I look at the situation from Khamzat’s side, Khamzat vs. Pereira would be the fight that would sell the most, and Khamzat would be fighting for another belt; it’s great for him,” coach Alan Nascimento told MMA Today.

“If I were Pereira, I would not accept that fight… let’s be honest, Khamzat would be the biggest challenge.

Pereira would have to defend. Pereira already has two belts; now he has the opportunity to accomplish something no one has ever done before in the history of the UFC. If I were Pereira, I would say, ‘Khamzat, I have a bigger goal—I have to go for the third belt.’”

According to him, this strategy makes sense because otherwise ‘Poatan’ would have to defend against a crushing grappling style that has troubled strikers before. But what if the Brazilian refuses to budge? Well, Team Chimaev is sure that then the fight will happen for sure. However, the advice is simple: if Pereira wants to leave a legacy, there may be smarter risks to take than welcoming ‘Borz’ to 205.