
The UFC 321 main event ended in acrimony. After Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke. Jon Jones wasted no time steering the conversation away from the heavyweight champion and toward Alex Pereira.
Jon Jones responded to Alex Pereira's callout to fight at the White House next year
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Imagine if these two fought for the UFC heavyweight title pic.twitter.com/WMvBI7Mxwn
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 26, 2025
With the UFC’s tentative White House event set for June 4. Jon Jones announced he intends to return there and publicly invited Pereira, not Aspinall.
“Alex, I’d be down to bring the highest skill level to the White House… let’s dance,” Jones wrote, praising Pereira’s respect.
Pereira, the reigning light heavyweight champion and former middleweight champ, has flirted with a run at heavyweight. After UFC 321, he posted:
“Let’s make the heavyweight division great again,” alongside a clip laughing at the anticlimactic finish.
Aspinall’s first bout as undisputed champion following his elevation. After Jones retired in June ended after a Round 1 eye poke from Gane left him unable to continue, drawing boos in Abu Dhabi. Adding insult, Jones tweaked his Instagram avatar from a duck (a nod to fans accusing him of “ducking” Aspinall) to a duck with an eye patch.
For Jones: He’s framing his comeback around a Pereira superfight, not a title bout with Aspinall.
For Pereira: A White House showcase vs. the former long-reigning 205 king turned heavyweight champ would be a crossover blockbuster and a springboard to a third-division crown.
For Aspinall: The belt remains his after the no-contest, but the unfinished business with Gane likely becomes priority while the Jones dream fight drifts further away.
Expect momentum to build for Aspinall–Gane II once medicals clear. Meanwhile, matchmaking for the White House card will determine whether Jones–Pereira advances from social media sizzle to signed bout agreement.
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