Jon Jones is the consensus greatest fighter of all time, but one man could put an end to his reign, according to three-time title challenger Colby Covington.
Two-division champion Alex Pereira has quickly become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. ‘Poatan’ skyrocketed to fame when he knocked out Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight throne in 2022. Just when it looked like we’d seen everything Pereira had to offer, he went on another legendary streak, claiming the light heavyweight belt and defending it three times in 2024.
As Pereira’s options for title defences dwindle, more talk emerges about a potential super fight with Jones, and Covington believes ‘Poatan’ could be the man to finish the job.
Colby Covington: Jones ‘for sure’ won’t stand and trade with Alex Pereira
During an interview with Submission Radio, Covington revealed he helped Pereira train his wrestling almost a decade ago. This was when Pereira was gearing up to capture GLORY kickboxing gold while still in the infancy of his MMA career. Pereira debuted with a submission loss and would have made grappling a top priority thereafter.
“I trained with him [Pereira]… Probably seven or eight years ago,” Covington said. “[Glover Teixeira] wanted me to help him with wrestling.
“… For sure [Pereira could knock out Jones], he could definitely catch him. I mean, no doubt about it. Jon’s going to shoot for those legs. He’s not going to want to get cracked by Alex Pereira. That left hook and those kicks are lethal.”
A tentative Covington can be seen meeting Pereira for the first time as part of the ‘Inside GLORY 68’ vlog series.
What Jon Jones thinks of a fight with Alex Pereira
Although Jones is expected to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, it hasn’t stopped him from entertaining mega-fights with some top UFC stars, including Pereira.
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Speaking to TNT Sports in the aftermath of UFC 309, Jones compared fighting Aspinall to Pereira.
“I really don’t like Tom,” Jones said. “… I admit he’s a bigger threat than Alex Pereira. … [Alex Pereira’s] accolades are incredible. … To beat up Tom Aspinall, I don’t break a record doing that… Beating Alex Pereira, that would be my tenth UFC champion that I beat.
“… I think the numbers are incredibly high: Americans love Alex Pereira, Brazilians love Alex Pereira. … Alex Pereira is a household American star and that’s what I’m aiming for. I want the big fights.”
Neither Jones nor Pereira have confirmed their next fights, though Pereira is rumoured to be facing No. 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira’s return date has been teased, though ‘Poatan’ has repeatedly denied intentions to face Ankalaev next.