Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira White House Superfight May Happen, But Not How People Expect

MMA analyst and retired UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has presented a compelling case for how the Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira fight could materialize, but it doesn’t involve the heavyweight division. 

On the ESPN show "Good Guy/Bad Guy," Sonnen, co-host alongside Daniel Cormier,  articulated Jones' potential thought process.

Sonnen explained, "If I'm in Jon Jones's shoes and I hear this and I feel this buzz, there's this huge fight and it has all of a sudden got my interest, but there's no title on the line. I can fix that. Real fight — I can say I can fight you, and I'll even find a world title because it's gonna be yours. I'll see you at 205 pounds."

Watch the full episode here:

This approach, suggested by Sonnen, would allow Pereira to retain his 205-pound title while giving Jones an opportunity to return to his old division from retirement, adding an unprecedented accomplishment to his already legendary resume.

Jones’ former rival, Cormier, agreed with Sonnen, and implied that the heavyweight division is not necessarily the most popular division.

“I don’t think the title of ‘baddest man on the planet’ needs to be officially on the line as the heavyweight championship,” he said. “People who watch, or are more ‘casual’ fans, will believe that they’re seeing the two baddest men on the planet because they’re two of the best, well-known big men in the world.” 

UFC President Dana White has also shared his hesitancy in booking Pereira a heavyweight match.

“I just don’t see why, unless he wants to retire, why throwing him in at heavyweight makes any sense,” White said during the UFC 320 post-fight press conference.

This creative solution from Sonnen, however, addresses the potential obstacle of Dana White's reluctance to book Pereira at heavyweight while simultaneously elevating the stakes to make the fight truly irresistible to both competitors and fans alike.

For Jones, widely considered the greatest of all time, a victory over Pereira would add an unprecedented third divisional title to his legacy while potentially silencing any remaining doubters about his claim to GOAT status. For Pereira, who has already achieved champion status in two weight classes across multiple organizations, defeating Jones would represent the ultimate career accomplishment and potentially launch his own claim as one of the sport's all-time greats.