Daniel Cormier wants to see Jon Jones and Alex Pereira fight at the White House.
After reclaiming his light heavyweight title at UFC 320 in October, Alex Pereira was clear about what he wanted to do next: fight Jon Jones in a superfight at the UFC White House card next summer. Jones was equally as interested in the fight, but unfortunately for the two of them, the person who matters most is not.
UFC CEO Dana White has shown a decided lack of interest in booking the superfight at the UFC White House event, but that hasn’t stopped fan interest in the possible matchup. However, earlier this week, Pereira cast doubt about the potential for that to happen, posting that he is a “No Go” for the event, but failing to deliver specifics.
And that revelation bummed out UFC commentator and Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.
“I truly believe that the most discouraging news would be Alex Pereira saying that he’s not going to fight at the White House,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “Pereira, obviously, is one of the biggest stars in the UFC, but also, when he fights, in most cases, you know that there’s going to be fireworks, most likely, or possibly a finish.
“What’s most discouraging about the whole situation — outside of the finishing facts, the star ability, all of that — is that if he was to fight, the fight that he offered up for the White House was a fight against Jon Jones. To which Jon Jones replied, ‘I would love to do that. Please let me on the White House. I’m back in the testing pool. I want to fight Alex Pereira.’ So, now, you immediately have the American star in Jones, vs. the big star in Pereira. …
“Him saying that he’s not on the card, I wonder if someone told him that that’s not what they’re doing. Because I don’t know why else he would make it public. Jon Jones feels that if Pereira’s not fighting, he’s not fighting. Because I think that they know they both need each other to place themselves on that White House card, which is going to be an amazing event.”
Details are still sparse about the UFC White House event, save that it will take place on June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. And if Jones vs. Pereira isn’t going to take place at the event, Cormier wonders exactly how big the promotion is planning to go.
“If Pereira is not on, if Jones is not on, how big is the UFC willing to make this card to ensure that it’s as big as anything we’ve ever seen inside the octagon?” Cormier said. “How many title fights is the UFC willing to put on to assure us that this will be the greatest fight card that we’ve ever seen?
“I remember UFC 300; you had the ‘BMF’ title, and then you had two title fights. You also had a card that was littered with champions. Does the White House card warrant a fight card of that nature, where you get former champions as the first fight of the night on the prelims? …
“I believe that this card is going to be amazing. I think they’re going to do everything they can to make it huge. I don’t very often disagree with how things work at the UFC. I believe that doing Jones vs. Pereira, that’s low-hanging fruit. You’ve already got two guys that say, ‘We want to do that.’ Put them out there!”
And if the UFC does ultimately decide to book that fight, Cormier has a suggestion: make it at light heavyweight.
Jones retired from MMA earlier this year as the UFC heavyweight champion, but ended his retirement upon hearing about this event. And while Pereira specifically asked to fight Jones at heavyweight, Cormier thinks the best-case scenario has the current light heavyweight champion taking on the GOAT of the division.
“I think Jones should fight Pereira at 205,” Cormier said. “That would be even better. I think Jones is good. He’s a good fighter. Jon Jones the heavyweight isn’t Jon Jones the light heavyweight. … I believe that the weight management, and cutting weight, and training really hard, makes him have to be more focused in his life than when he’s fighting at heavyweight. There’s way more leniency. He’s not a 265-pound guy, so he doesn’t have to be as locked in. He was never as good as when he’s fighting at 205. …
“I think that is where him and Pereira should fight, because I believe that if Pereira fights him at heavyweight, Pereira’s a little too small, and at heavyweight, Jon Jones just isn’t as good as he is at 205. You want the best product? You put those guys at 205.”
Face/Off. ‘You’re going to get f*cked up’: Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off for final time before fight.
Heavy. Anthony Joshua weighs in 27 pounds heavier than Jake Paul for boxing match.
Future. Michael Bisping wonders if Jake Paul ‘never wants to step foot in a boxing ring again’ after Anthony Joshua fight.
Party. ‘I was living a rock star life’: Tyron Woodley admits he lost sight on what was most important during UFC title reign.
RIP. UFC 18 veteran Darrell Gholar dead at 63.
Jake vs. Joshua official weigh-ins.
Paul and Joshua final face offs.
Mighty Mouse breaks down what he saw at the Jake vs. Joshua open workouts.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISS
ONE HUNDRED AND EIIIGHTYYYYY (well, not exactly).
Adrian Lee (3-1) vs. Shozo Isojima (6-1); ONE Fight Night 40, Feb. 13.
Bia Mesquita (6-0) vs. Montserrat Rendon (7-1); UFC Vegas 115, March 14.
Welp, it’s time. Credit to Jake Paul for taking the fight, but this one is going poorly for him. Well, as poorly as getting paid millions of dollars can go.
Join us for our live Watch Party tonight, and have a great weekend, y’all!
If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.
Subscribe to my channel
