After Jon Jones‘s victory against Stipe Miocic, the next opponent for the heavyweight champion was clear. The interim champion of the division, Tom Aspinall, has been waiting for a title unification bout for a long time and he is losing patience. Is ‘Bones’ finally ready to defend his belt against the British heavyweight?

In a new interview with ‘Full Send MMA’, Jones discussed what’s next for him and the division. The interviewer told Jones that he interviewed Gordon Ryan after the Jones-Miocic bout and the BJJ fighter had some thoughts for the division.

Interviewer: “Gordon had an interesting thing to say to be after your fight. I asked him, I said, ‘Gordon Ryan’, who do you think Jon Jones should fight next?’ He threw a scenario out there. He said, ‘Why don’t we let Jon do this thing? And we have Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall fight and Jon can fight the winner.’ Did he ever run that by you?”
Jon Jones: “He has mentioned that to me but I don’t know if that’s the UFC wants to do. It would be cool if they did fight but I don’t really have an opinion on it. You know, I’m just worried about what I’m going to do and how things are going with me in the UFC, how negotiations are going.”

Well, Jones is back in the gym and training again. While he may be okay with Alex Pereira versus Tom Aspinall, let us not forget that the latter became the interim champion after he defeated Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295. It happened in November 2023 and so, it has been a year since he has been waiting for a chance against the champion. On the other hand, we are sure ‘Poatan’ will appreciate such an opportunity. After all, he has shared his desire to step up to heavyweight and make history by winning a third divisional belt—something that has never been done in the UFC.

But coming back to Jones, it seems he would love to face Pereira instead of Aspinall. “I’m not really worried about the Tom fight. I’m worried about the Pereira fight,” Jones said during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. “That’s what I want to do. I think if the UFC wants to have me back, then I think that’s the fight they’ll make. I’ve been really clear about my intentions. That’s what I want.”

“I just feel like anybody would understand at this point. I’ll retire the heavyweight belt if I have to. … Tom can have the heavyweight championship. I don’t really care about it,” Jones added. But what’s the reason behind Jon Jones not wanting to fight Aspinall? Is he ducking him?

Well, during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, the champion said, “I just don’t like him, and at the end of the day, if I give him the opportunity to fight me, I want to be so compensated. I want that f–k you money. Honestly. That’s just what it is. That’s just what it is. My life is perfect without him. I don’t need him at all, and he needs me, and that’s a good place to be in a negotiation.”

This is definitely not good news for Aspinall. However, UFC boss Dana White dismissed the idea of a heavyweight clash between Pereira and Jones during the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. White strongly opposed the matchup, citing the substantial size disparity between Jones and Pereira. He dismissed Pereira’s candidacy, stating that Jones was “too big” for him, effectively ruling out any chance of the fight happening.

Paul Felder doubts Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones will draw big numbers

At 37 years old, Jones may not have much fuel left in the tank. Owing to this, ‘Bones’ is now looking for exciting matchups, like a super-fight against Alex Pereira, who has become the face of the UFC in just four years since his debut. The Brazilian has quickly become one of the most active fighters on the roster, helping to salvage Dana White’s lackluster cards earlier this year. He lived up to his reputation with back-to-back headline fights, carrying the UFC on his shoulders and quickly becoming a fan favorite.

This could be a great way to generate buzz and lucrative pay-per-view sales, which Jones sees as a source of motivation. One can understand Jones’ psyche over a potential fight with Pereira. He knows he doesn’t have a lot of time on his hands and the same can be said about Pereira, who is also 37.

While the Brazilian hasn’t talked about retirement, he does have great momentum. He fought thrice in 2023 and the same goes for this year. So, a Jones fight would be big for him. However, UFC veteran Paul Felder disagreed with the narrative surrounding the potential fight. He dismissed the idea on the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, stating, “Anytime people start to doubt if Jon could beat this guy—that’s what draws numbers. Name-wise, maybe Alex Pereira has done a little bit more, but I think fans know how that fight’s going to go.”

What do you think of the potential fight between Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira? Is it the right fight, or would you prefer to see Jon Jones face either Pereira or Aspinall? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!