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Brett Okamoto
john jones And alex perera Would like to fight each other during a planned UFC event at the White House in June.
Two of the UFC’s biggest stars publicly called each other out shortly after their UFC heavyweight title fight on Saturday. Tom Aspinall And Cyril GaneJones is a former heavyweight champion who retired earlier this year rather than accept a fight against Aspinall, while Pereira is a light heavyweight champion with a list of potential contenders in his weight class.
The UFC has been hesitant to book a fight between Jones and Pereira for those reasons, but Saturday’s title fight, which has historically resulted in a no contest due to the eyeballs, gave Jones and Pereira a chance to state their cases.
“Let’s make the heavyweight division great again,” Pereira wrote on Instagram.
Jones responded, “Alex, I am ready to bring the highest skill level to the White House.” “I appreciate the respect you show me, let’s dance.”
UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly said the promotion has not yet discussed specific bouts for the White House event, which President Donald Trump has said will take place on June 14. However, White has stated that he does not trust Jones enough to allow him to headline the card, due to Jones’ history. Personal and legal issues This has affected his availability to compete.
Jones (28-1) is considered the greatest UFC fighter of all time. He remains the youngest champion in UFC history, winning his first title at the age of 23. He captured the heavyweight belt in 2023 and defended it once before retiring from MMA in 2025. Shortly after announcing his retirement, and making it clear that he did not want to face Aspinall, Jones said he would come out of retirement to fight at the White House event.
Pereira (13-3) is a two-weight champion in the UFC and kickboxing. He has several potential title challengers at 205 pounds, but he would like to move up to heavyweight in his next fight. Earlier this month, Pereira revealed that he had planned to call out Jones after their most recent fight at UFC 320 in Las Vegas, but did not do so following the sudden death of Jones’ older brother, retired NFL lineman Arthur Jones.
