It’s been over a year since Jon Jones triumphantly returned to the octagon after three years and choked out Cyril Gan in the first round. Of course, this opened up the possibility of more big fights involving one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history.
First of all, with Stipe Miocic, but the sad story of this fight is known. He was scheduled for the big UFC 295 event in New York, but Jones suffered a pretty serious injury (a torn pectoral muscle) and was out for a long time. The event was then saved by Alex Pereira, who was entrusted with the main event, as well as Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich, who determined the interim heavyweight champion.
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Aspinall won and then unleashed a torrent of social media posts about Jon Jones. The Brit persistently tried to pick a fight with the legend after his return, and Bones periodically responded, hinting that Tom would have to wait a long time. During this time, fans sided with Aspinall and also very often spoke out in favor of him fighting Jones.
It would appear that the interim belt holder is the main contender for the full title by default. But not in this case, Jones will fight Miocic at the end of the year, Dana White has already talked about this and Aspinall seems to have accepted this and is ready to be next. But apparently Kostyanoy is preparing a “feint with his ears” and has found a way to get through the extremely dangerous Brit.
Tom Aspinall with a belt
Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Recently, John took the time to chat with subscribers on social media and asked people what they would like more: a fight with Tom Aspinall or Alex Pereira? And then he began to explain why the option with the Brazilian seems more interesting.
“If Alex Pereira could become heavyweight champion, would he be considered the best? Going back to the gym made me think differently. The Alex fight is probably my next step after the Miocic fight. This assassin has already defeated so many champions and millions of people around the world already consider him a legend. This will be the biggest fight the UFC can make. Give Alex a chance to avenge all those Brazilian champions I beat. It would be huge. A guy who has a chance to become a three-division champion. Same age, different strengths. No one will argue that this is the biggest fight in UFC history. Great versus the best. No fight will make as much money as this one. The marketing would be crazy,” Jones wrote.
Alex Pereira is unique:
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And the champion also responded to fans’ complaints: “Do you really think my fight with Tom would be bigger than the fight with Alex? Volume only matters in the UK. Pereira is one of the most controversial sports figures of all time. We were supposed to headline the tournament at Madison Square Garden. I think about money, legacy and the big picture. I don’t want British fans to be dying of anticipation to see what happens. “I went through this with the French fans not long ago.”
What cannot be denied to Jones is his ability to provide fans with a hot topic of discussion. Dana White not long ago said that it would be better for Pereira to focus on his weight class for now, but after such changes on John’s part, he might consider this option.
Alex Pereira
Photo: Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
Pereira has already stated that he is not at all against organizing a campaign for the third belt: “Yes, it was unexpected and it is a great honor. He will be out of the game for a while and wants to fight one more time before facing me. A lot can happen during this time, but I just want to be active. When I said I wanted to fight in the heavyweight division, the UFC had no interest in it, so my team and I decided to focus on the division in which I am champion. If the UFC tells me this is the way to get a heavyweight title shot, then I might change my plans. But as long as there is none of this, I prefer not to deviate from my decision. Thinking about what might not happen is exhausting for me and the fans. This is definitely a fight I want to do. I have nothing against John, I have a lot of respect for him, but we are both trying to build something and I think it would be an interesting fight for the fans. If you ask the fans, of course they will be delighted. It will be a war and a very exciting spectacle for the fans. “If the UFC gives the green light, we can do it.”
Tom Aspinall is an all-rounder who can hit hard, as he demonstrated in his return from an ACL injury against Marcin Tybura and Sergei Pavlovic. And Alexander Volkov is well aware of the Brit’s abilities on the ground. Additionally, Aspinall moves intelligently, which is not entirely typical of a heavyweight. Tom is potentially the strongest heavyweight in the world, but Jones is right about one thing: From a name standpoint, this fight will do little for John’s legacy. This is a case where the reward is small, but the risks are enormous.
Another thing is Pereira. Alex very quickly became a star, made his way to the title the shortest way, managed to lead tournaments in New York twice (the first fighter to do so), took belts in two weight categories and became the head UFC anniversary poster. 300. A big promotion. Pereira is truly one of the stars of the promotion today and, as Jones certainly likes him, he still has one obvious weakness: wrestling. Of course, John didn’t mention this.
Pereira is a useful opponent for Jones, but it’s a really important sign. Alex will go for the third belt, risking little in the process, and Kostyanoy will get a high-profile and at the same time simpler fight on paper. Of course, there is always the possibility of a puncher, and Pereira’s may not be so small, but he clearly has fewer keys to victory.
In the world of MMA everything is changing very quickly, we cannot exclude the possibility that we will see a Jones-Pereira fight, but this would be a great injustice to Tom Aspinall. John is a legend, he can demand any fight, but it would be good to at least not ignore the sporting component so openly.
