Jon Jones believes Alex Pereira may have carried too much weight into his recent heavyweight bout with Ciryl Gane, saying the former light heavyweight champion would have benefited from maintaining more of his speed in the contest.
Jones, who moved from light heavyweight to heavyweight in 2023 after spending several years preparing for the transition, offered his assessment while discussing Pereira’s knockout defeat to Gane. The former UFC heavyweight champion drew on his own experience of changing divisions, having defeated both Ciryl Gane and Stipe Miocic during his heavyweight run.
“I felt like Pereira, he came in too big,” said Jones, according to Red Corner MMA, as noted by MMA Mania. “I think he would have been better off fighting around 230-235, keeping that speed. I feel like his power would have possibly translated over. In the fight you just saw him, he was waiting. He was second-guessing things, questioning things, and that’s one of the worst things you can do in a fight. It feels like a nightmare when you’re out there in front of your opponent, and you know the moves, know you should throw the punch or kick or go for that takedown — then you just don’t. You find yourself out there watching instead of doing.”
Jones added that he believed Pereira never settled into the contest and pointed to Gane’s style as a significant factor. “I’ve had it happen to me many times in practice, and I felt like that’s what happened with Alex,” said Jones, according to Red Corner MMA. “He never really got his ball rolling. Ciryl Gane came at him in a Southpaw stance, which also challenges Pereira. He was fast, powerful, unorthodox. It was the perfect storm for Pereira, and he didn’t survive it.”
Jones has previously shared the cage with Gane and has also been linked with a potential future meeting against Pereira, giving added interest to his comments on the matchup. While no bout between Jones and Pereira has been confirmed, speculation over a possible contest has continued.
Jones spent years competing at 205 pounds before taking a three-year break to prepare for his heavyweight debut, a move that culminated in victories over Gane and Miocic. Pereira, meanwhile, stepped up from light heavyweight for his meeting with Gane less than a year after competing at 205-pounds.
