Jones On Pereira Fight: Size Would Decide Outcome

Jon Jones says his size and grappling would have been too much for Alex Pereira in their scrapped heavyweight bout.

The former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion broke down how he believes fights against Pereira and fellow double champ Daniel Cormier would have played out, backing himself in both scenarios. Jones and Pereira appeared headed for a collision after Pereira moved to heavyweight at UFC Freedom 250, but the matchup fell apart amid Jones's contract dispute with the UFC.

Jones Explains Why Wrestling Would Have Overwhelmed Pereira

Speaking to AFL Global, Jones pointed to the physical gap between Pereira and the true heavyweights he has faced. He watched Pereira train and identified holes in his wrestling, noting that former opponents Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane carry significantly more size than the Brazilian, who fought at middleweight before climbing two divisions. "I watched Pereira train," Jones said. "I see his level of wrestling and it's way behind. I feel as if Stipe Miocic is a true heavyweight. He's a big, big boy. Ciryl Gane, when you see him in person, he's a big, big boy. Alex Pereira is not a big, big boy."

Jones predicted he would have finished Pereira quickly on the mat. "I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much for him," he said. "I felt as if the moment I would have gotten him to the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly." He added that he remains a fan of Pereira and wants to see him succeed.

On a potential wrestling match with Cormier, whom he beat twice in the cage, Jones said he would target his rival's injured back with a grinding pace. "I think I would have beat D.C. in a wrestling match," he said. "My strategy would be to just try to wear on him. Not shoot, not go for the takedown, but just hand fight, hand fight, hand fight and see if I could wear on that back."

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• Sherdog — Jon Jones breaks down matchups against fellow UFC double champs