Outside Source
In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder weighed in on how he believes a fight against fellow former two-division king Alex Pereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival Daniel Cormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.
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Jon Jones explains why he sees grappling as the deciding factor in a hypothetical fight with Alex Pereira
Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when the latter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones’ ongoing stalemate with the UFC regarding his future, a fight against “Poatan” has fallen through.
Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight, claiming his former opponents Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane are bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.
“I watched Pereira train,” Jones said in an interview with AFL Global. “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. He’s a lean guy. I think right now he weighs maybe 250.”
Jones believes his size and grappling would have overwhelmed Pereira, predicting a submission win had they collided inside the Octagon.
“I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much for him,” Jones said. “I felt as if the moment I would have gotten him to the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly. I mean, everyone knows that. I think that’s the clearest path to victory for me against Alex Pereira. But we’re not fighting. I am a fan of him. I support him, and I want to see him do well.”
“Bones” also discussed his approach towards a potential wrestling match with Cormier, who he’s already shared the cage with twice.
“I think I would have beat D.C. 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. Not shoot, not go for the takedown, but just hand fight, hand fight, hand fight and see if I could wear on that back.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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