Jones On Pereira Submission And Beating Cormier

Jon Jones said he would finish Alex Pereira on the ground quickly if the two ever met in the cage, while also claiming he could beat Daniel Cormier in a wrestling match.

Jones, speaking to ALF Global in an interview released Tuesday, evaluated the Brazilian striker as a style matchup after campaigning for a heavyweight clash that never materialised. Pereira instead fought Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House in June, losing by second-round knockout.

Jones Confident In Ground Game Against Pereira

"I watched Pereira train," Jones told the outlet, per MMA Fighting. "I see his level of wrestling and it's way behind. I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much for him. I felt as if the moment I would have gotten him to the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly."

Jones noted Pereira weighed 251 pounds at the June weigh-in, describing him as lean compared to true heavyweights like Stipe Miocic and Gane. He said the submission path was obvious but added he remains a fan of the former heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion.

On a potential wrestling match with longtime rival Cormier, Jones said he would target his opponent's back issues with hand fighting rather than takedown attempts. Cormier claimed earlier this year he could beat Jones in wrestling and accused him of turning down seven figures for a six-minute match.

"I think I would have beat DC in a wrestling match," Jones said. "It wouldn't be easy, but I think I would beat him in wrestling. I hear that he has problems with his back, so my strategy would be to just try to wear on him."

Jones has not competed in MMA since submitting Ciryl Gane in March 2023 to claim the heavyweight title.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Jon Jones confident he would submit Alex Pereira ‘pretty quickly’ in MMA, beat Daniel Cormier in wrestling