Jon “Bones” Jones is set to defend his UFC heavyweight championship against former 2-time champion Stipe Miocic later this year. Still, he is already eyeing a legacy fight following the clash with his next opponent.
Jones took to social media on Friday to ask fans if, following his fight with Miocic, he should fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Many fans seemed to point to Aspinall as the right guy to fight Jones, but the latter disagreed. He replied with a series of posts making a case for him to face Pereira in what he would describe as an “absolutely massive” fight against a “killer who has already defeated so many champions.”
Jones makes some strong points. Pereira has become one of the fastest-growing stars in the history of the UFC. The only fighter to ascend to global prominence faster was Ronda Rousey.
After a successful kickboxing career, Pereira arrived in the UFC with tons of fanfare and hype. As one of only eight fighters in UFC history to win a title in two divisions, Pereira has already exceeded the hype that preceded his arrival in the UFC.
Jones is also correct. The two men are almost exactly the same age. Both will turn 37 in July, and they may not have many fights left in their careers.
It would behoove them both to go for more bang for their buck in every Octagon appearance ahead of them, and it isn’t as if fighting Pereira would be an easy fight for Jones–at least not on paper.
However, some astute commenters, such as UFC Fight Pass commentator Ben Davis, also made exciting counterpoints.
As tantalizing as a Jones-Pereira fight is to consider, Davis’ point, which equates to not skipping steps, is the more responsible approach.
If a fighter holds an interim title–which should essentially guarantee them a title shot in their next fight, provided the champion is available–but gets passed over because another fighter has a more prominent name or represents a more significant legacy bump, we’re treading into dangerous territory.
The one edge the UFC has had over boxing for the past two decades is its more systematic matchmaking. Champions fight the top contenders, regardless of clout–at least in most cases.
While Jones-Pereira would do insane numbers that drowned out the sensible objections from people like Davis, Bones-Aspinall is the proper fight to make–assuming the former handles Miocic.
