UFC CEO Dana White sees a approach the place Jon Jones does combat Alex Pereira.
Jones is set to defend his heavyweight title in the primary occasion of UFC 309 on Saturday towards Stipe Miocic. It’s an intriguing matchup and may Jones win, he has made it clear he’ll combat Pereira subsequent or retire.
Jon Jones says he has little interest in going through Tom Aspinall who’s the interim heavyweight champion. Nevertheless, White says he’ll solely make the Jones-Pereira combat if ‘Bones’ face Aspinall subsequent.
“If Jon Jones wins and retires on Saturday Tom Aspinall would be the heavyweight champion..
I feel Jon Jones ought to combat Tom Aspinall if he wins..
So long as he is lively within the UFC he is the pound for pound greatest fighter on the planet”@danawhite #PMSLive https://t.co/4eScbs1Zws pic.twitter.com/CCeFHlvzRu
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 15, 2024
“Clearly a man like Jon Jones has had a profession, if he desires one thing we’d do it,” Dana White said on The Pat McAfee Show. “However, you may’t simply do a enjoyable combat and never combat the interim heavyweight champion, the man who’s subsequent, as a result of if Jon Jones retired on Saturday, Tom Aspinall can be the heavyweight champion. So, alternatives got to Jon Jones. He was 23, he was the youngest champion of all time. Now, as he sits the place he sits, it’s his obligation to provide it to the youthful man to provide him that chance. If he beats Tom Aspinall, then sure, I might do the Alex Pereira combat.”
Even when the Pereira combat is assured if Jones faces Aspinall subsequent, it’s nonetheless unsure if ‘Bones’ would take the bout.
Jon Jones explains why he doesn’t need to combat Tom Aspinall
Jon Jones has made it clear he doesn’t have an curiosity in going through Tom Aspinall.
Jones says preventing and beating Aspinall does nothing for his profession, which is why he known as for a combat with Alex Pereira.
“He modifies nothing if I beat him. Beating Tom is rather like beating Ciryl Gane,” Jones stated at UFC 309 media day. “He has a complete nation behind him. He’s scorching proper now. What occurs to me after I beat him? Nothing modifications for me. So, I’m not ducking Tom Aspinall. If I didn’t combat Stipe, I might be ducking Stipe, as a result of we contractually have been signed as much as combat over a yr in the past. That is Stipe’s place.
“The Tom narrative got here out of nowhere,” Jones continued. “He received a belt, and now immediately I’m ducking him. I’ve by no means had negotiations to even combat him, if this is smart. So, the followers are simply ignoring it. They’re ignoring all logic, they usually simply have lastly discovered somebody that they assume can compete with me, and everybody desires to see it now.”
However, earlier than any of these fights can occur, Jon Jones might want to beat Stipe Miocic on Saturday at UFC 309.
