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Jon Jones believes he would dominate Alex Pereira in wrestling

CBS Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 28, 2026, 2:30 PM

Last updated Jul 28, 2026

Jon Jones believes he would dominate Alex Pereira in wrestling

Summary

Jon Jones expressed confidence in a hypothetical matchup against Alex Pereira, stating that Pereira's wrestling skills are significantly inferior. Jones, who retained his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024, had sought a fight with Pereira after Pereira vacated his light heavyweight title. However, Jones has since retired and is not scheduled to face Pereira, who lost to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. Jones characterized Pereira as not physically imposing compared to heavyweights and emphasized that he would easily control the fight on the ground.

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Key Details

•Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to retain heavyweight title.
•Jones wanted to fight Pereira instead of Tom Aspinall but retired.
•Pereira lost to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250.
•Jones claims Pereira's wrestling is 'way behind' his own skills.

Latest Updates

4:46 PMCBS Sports — Jon Jones says he's confident he'd 'quickly' tap out Alex Pereira, believes his wrestling is 'way behind'
2:30 PMYahoo Sports — Jon Jones: Alex Pereira wouldn't overcome being 'way behind' in wrestling vs. me

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