UFC Light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has talked in the past about potentially being interested in a move up to heavyweight, and he’s now doubled down on that by confirming that he wants to fight current titleholder Jon Jones.
“It’s not about only fighting at heavyweight,” Pereira said on the Ariel Helwani Show. “At first I made that noise but now I think it can be a risk but not be a risk.
“I’m the champ. I want to fight the champ, so let’s make the fight with Jon Jones. That’s the fight that I want for heavyweight.”
That might be music to Jones ears as he’s previously indicated his interest in fighting Pereira next instead of going up against interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Some have suggested that’s a sign Jones feels Pereira is potentially the easier match-up of the two, but ‘Poatan’ disagrees and suggests that the reality is that it’s just a bigger match-up with more at stake given that he’s a dominant light-heavyweight champion who also previously held the middleweight title.
“It’s about the momentum and the risk,” Pereira told Helwani. “There’s also a risk fighting Aspinall. What’s he going to win from there,” Pereira said. “Fighting me is a much bigger achievement. I think it’s the weight of the fight. After that, I think he said he could beat up everybody. It’s bigger fights. I think that’s why.”
It’s worth noting that Pereira still has an upcoming title defense against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 next month to contend with first before a superfight against Jones could materialize.
It seems like Pereira’s interest in competing at heavyweight is genuine though, and it doesn’t appear to purely be down to a desire to fight Jones.
I’ll fight anyone at heavyweight,” Pereira said. “I’m the champion. Jon Jones is the champion. If Aspinall was the champ I’d want to fight him.”
