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UFC CEO Dana White Axes Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira, Promises Tom Aspinall Next

UFC CEO Dana White took a hard stance on who should be next for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic.

Zain Bando

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC CEO and president Dana White during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

UFC CEO Dana White insists he never makes fresh matchups immediately after an event concludes. However, the situation is somewhat different before the event.

White Shuts Down Talk Of Jones vs. Pereira

The promotion is two days from UFC 309, headlined by Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic for Jones' heavyweight title. White remains adamant that the winner will fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall instead of challenging UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira in a blockbuster super fight.

White sat down with longtime sports talk radio personality Jim Rome Thursday to preview the main event. He cleared the air regarding what the future of the heavyweight division will look like after Saturday's fights conclude.

"If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall," White said.

From Jones' perspective, he told media members Wednesday he doesn't feel the need to fight Aspinall, given what he considers to be an unimpressive resume. Jones refused to complete an interview with TNT Sports' Adam Catterall for fear of unwanted bias toward Aspinall, which "Bones" may have perceived as an attempt to bait him into saying something he likely should not.

Jones opted to still give the outlet the interview, given that it is the U.K. TV partner for the UFC, but this shows how much the heavyweight champion is remaining focused on defeating Miocic.

UFC CEO Dana White Axes Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira, Promises Tom Aspinall Next
Nov 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; UFC mixed martial arts heavyweight champion Jon Jones poses for a photo before a game between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. / John Jones-Imagn Images

Catterall remained professional and understood Jones' point of view, although he seemed visibly disappointed.

This is Jones' first fight since March of last year, where he won the vacant heavyweight title with a first-round submission against Ciryl Gane, the former UFC interim heavyweight champion.

Meanwhile, Miocic sat out for over three years after losing his title to Francis Ngannou. By taking the risk, Miocic is now presented with a potential cherry on top and career storybook ending: regaining the heavyweight title, beating the GOAT of MMA, and solidifying that the risk was worth the reward.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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