UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones would be willing to vacate his title for a clash with Alex Pereira if the promotion creates a new belt for the fight.
Jon Jones will face former UFC heavyweight titleholder Stipe Miocic on Saturday at UFC 309. He’ll make his long-awaited first heavyweight title defense almost two full years since winning the then-vacant belt at UFC 285.
If Jones gets past Miocic at UFC 309, he has an array of intriguing options on the table. One of which is retirement, which he has teased with a win over Miocic this weekend in New York City.
But, if Jones opts to stick around for at least one more fight, high-profile matchups with Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall are in the mix. Pereira has teased an eventual move up to heavyweight, while Aspinall holds the interim heavyweight belt he defended at UFC 304.
A Jones vs. Pereira superfight would put two of the greatest UFC light heavyweights against one another. While Jones is leaning towards a fight with Pereira over Aspinall, he doesn’t believe his heavyweight belt needs to be on the line to make the matchup come to fruition.
Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira for the BAMF title?
In a recent interview with TSN‘s Aaron Bronsteter, Jones pitched a brand-new BAMF title on the line for a clash with Pereira.
“It would be cool to fight for the heavyweight championship, but I’d also willingly give up the heavyweight championship,” Jones said. “I walked away from the light heavyweight championship and I would love to walk away from this one as well, on top.
“I love the position that I’m in right now. Fighting [Alex] Pereira for the ‘BAMF’ belt, that would be cool. We both have two belts in two weight classes and the night we’d fight, we’d be fighting for our third belt, which would be the ‘BAMF’. How cool would that be?”
Fight fans weren’t fond of Jones’ idea for a new BAMF belt.
“I didn’t think capturing a belt up a weight class could possibly damage someone’s legacy, but Jones may accomplish it with this 2-year paper title reign. Amazing work,” one fan tweeted.
“Asking for a fight for the BMF belt after leaving the division to avoid Tom Aspinall, how ironic,” another said.
“If this isn’t ducking then ducking doesn’t exist,” another commented.
The UFC’s BMF title was first brought into existence at UFC 244, beginning with Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz. Max Holloway currently holds the belt, which is the first and only of its kind in UFC history.
Jon Jones clarifies that the heavyweight title would not necessarily have to be at stake if he were to fight Alex Pereira and he has another belt in mind.
Full interview with the 🐐 coming soon… pic.twitter.com/R43YlfB9Ze
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 11, 2024
Jon Jones’s uncertain future overshadows UFC 309 return
Fight fans, analysts, and pundits are clamoring for Aspinall to face the Jones vs. Miocic winner after UFC 309. While UFC CEO Dana White is confident he can persuade the winner to face Aspinall next, Jones seems to have lost all interest in facing the UK star.
Jones captured the then-vacant UFC heavyweight title by submitting Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. Since then, Pereira has taken over the light heavyweight division, becoming one of the sport’s biggest pay-per-view draws.
Pereira most recently defended the UFC light heavyweight title by finishing Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. While he doesn’t envision a long heavyweight reign, he’s on the record saying he wants at least one heavyweight fight before retiring.
Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2020, before a three-year transformation to heavyweight. His last title defense came against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247.
Jones and Pereira are two of the biggest names in combat sports. A possible clash would intrigue fans around the world, and according to Jones, a new title could be unveiled for the superfight.