For a short while, Jon Jones managed to keep the entire MMA community in a state of confusion with his retirement. However, soon after the announcement, he practically did a U-turn on that story almost right away. He made his point very clear that he still has a long way to go, declaring, “I’m not retired, I’m actively training five days a week and I’m in the UFC’s drug-testing pool.” So, the goodbye that was talked about? Definitely not happening. Rather, Jones is sounding sharper, and frankly, more interested in making his return to the UFC on the highly anticipated White House card slated for June 14 next year.

And out of all the names floating around him, Alex Pereira, for him, is the person who actually ignites something in him to make a return. Jon Jones even admitted Pereira’s aura is part of the reason the matchup fascinates him, saying the Brazilian has that inexplicable it factor that makes a fight feel historic before it even happens. And guess what? The former champion even sees holes in his game that he can’t wait to capitalize on.

Jon Jones predicts how the match between him and Alex Pereira would end

During his latest appearance on the Geoffrey Woo and Ketone-IQ podcast, Jones dove into the potential matchup and explained why Pereira is the one guy he would actually love to fight. He opened up with, “Pereira… literally one of the only things he says is ‘Chama’. And people hear him say ‘Chama’ and no one even knows what it means, but he has that it factor. And that’s part of the reason why I wanted to compete against Pereira. I felt as if the brand he represents, the energy he has behind him, will be remembered more than just five years from now.” Hearing the admission, Geoffrey Woo called the matchup “the biggest fight in history” and asked Jones if the fight were to actually happen at the White House the way he wants, how would it unfold.

“With Pereira, I would just have to be… I’d have to be smart. I’d have to be really smart. I would have to use what’s in front of me. Pereira posts everything, you know, every sparring session. I have a whole kickboxing career to study from. I also have a pretty decent resume in MMA to watch now,” Jon Jones explained.

When Woo asked whether their reach was similar, Jones didn’t hesitate to break down the physical matchup in detail. “I would imagine my reach is slightly longer. I think one of the things that everyone’s underestimating when it comes to our fight is my physical strength. I sure don’t always look like the strongest guy around. I’m not overly muscular, but everyone who wrestles me, they say the same thing: he’s just so much more powerful than I would have imagined him being. So I think that’s where—he punches really hard and kicks really hard—but I think my grappling power and wisdom would be a lot for him to handle.”

When asked how he sees the fight between him and Pereira ending, Jones didn’t hesitate. “Him being Pereira, I feel as if my clearest path to victory in both (Pereira & Aspinall) of those fights would be to get them to the ground at some point, to strike with them like I know that I can. I’ve stood with every fighter in the world. I’ve held my space, if not won, against every fighter in the world in kickboxing. So my goal would be to kickbox until I find my moment to get the fight on the ground, go for a submission, or go for a TKO,” the 38-year-old predicted boldly.

Jones boiled the whole thing down to a clean equation. No matter who, the path doesn’t change. In the same show with Geoffrey Woo, the first thing Jon Jones was asked about was Tom Aspinall, given all the banter in the heavyweight division about Jones allegedly ducking the fight.

Jon Jones digs into Tom Aspinall’s weak spots

Jones used the moment to explain the kind of fighter he thinks Aspinall is, breaking down both his physical skills and mental approach inside the cage. The former champion described Tom Aspinall as a “bully fighter” who has clearly put in the work and dedication over the years, but also noted that his lack of octagon experience shows in certain situations. He pointed out that there’s “a lot of fear in the unknown” when fighters haven’t faced as many high-level opponents, which can affect their mental game.

Jones explained that his study of Aspinall revealed patterns in both career trajectory and fight outcomes. Recalling Aspinall’s loss to Curtis Blaydes in 2022, Jones highlighted the fighter’s reaction to injury. “Blowing your knee is blowing your knee, right? But I would expect a fighter that blew his knee to at least attempt to stand back up, or at least limp, or at least try to walk on it,” he stated. However, Jon Jones didn’t see Tom Aspinall even attempt to continue with the fight.

Turning to Aspinall’s recent fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321, Jones dissected the controversial eye poke. Normally, fighters instinctively test their ability to continue, but Aspinall immediately signaled that he couldn’t see. Jones added that the eye Aspinall covered was actually the one less affected, indicating confusion and perhaps a mental shortcut to end the fight, rather than a purely physical incapacity.

All of this combined makes the fight with Tom Aspinall a not-so-interesting endeavor, according to the former heavyweight champion. Hence, the clamor for the fight with Alex Pereira. Now, only time will tell if a fight between Jones and Pereira will become a reality.