A tricky southpaw who was fast to boot

'Gane's pressure is what stopped Pereira'

Jon Jones comments alongside former UFC champion Tyron Woodley during a Netflix broadcast of an MVP Promotions event in May. [Getty Images]
Jon Jones comments alongside former UFC champion Tyron Woodley during a Netflix broadcast of an MVP Promotions event in May. [Getty Images]

Jon Jones, widely regarded as the greatest of all time, has identified "hesitation" as the key reason Alex Pereira — a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion — lost his bid to conquer the heavyweight division.

Pereira's move to heavyweight was one of the most audacious challenges in modern MMA. Climbing three weight classes is daunting enough on its own, but doing so from middleweight at 84 kilograms all the way to the sport's heaviest division — by way of light heavyweight at 94 kilograms — is something no fighter has done before.

The UFC all but rolled out the red carpet for his debut at the higher weight, slotting him straight into an interim heavyweight title fight. But at UFC Freedom 250, he was thoroughly beaten by No. 1-ranked Ciryl Gane, exposing just how steep the climb truly is.

Jones, known as much for his ring intelligence as his physical gifts, offered his own breakdown of what went wrong. He argued that Pereira came in carrying too much weight — pointing out that even in the heavyweight division, bulk does not automatically translate to an advantage, particularly for a fighter moving up quickly from a lower weight class, who risks sacrificing the speed that made him dangerous.

"Pereira came in too big," Jones said in an interview with Red Corner MMA. "In my opinion, if he had fought at around 230 to 235 pounds, he could have maintained his speed and gotten a better result. I think his power would have carried over at that weight."

Pereira weighed in at 251 pounds (114 kilograms) the day before the fight, while Gane came in at 248 pounds (112.5 kilograms) — meaning Pereira was actually the bigger man going in. The weight question had already been raised by many analysts and fans before the bout.

Jones went further, however, pointing to what he saw as an even bigger problem: Pereira looked hesitant inside the cage. Rather than the aggressive counter-striker fans had expected, Pereira appeared to second-guess himself throughout the fight.

Jones said he had experienced similar moments in his own training. "I kept hesitating and second-guessing myself," he said. "You find yourself just watching your opponent instead of reacting instinctively." He described it as knowing exactly what technique to use, yet having hesitation override instinct at the critical moment.

As for why Pereira hesitated, Jones had a ready answer: Ciryl Gane. Jones, who faced Gane himself in 2023, said the Frenchman's southpaw stance, athleticism and speed proved too much even for a seasoned kickboxer of Pereira's caliber.

"Pereira couldn't build any momentum against Gane coming at him in that left-handed stance," Jones said. "Pereira couldn't withstand that kind of pressure — it must have felt like a perfect storm."

Meanwhile, Jones also praised Conor McGregor, who is set to return at UFC 329 this month after a five-year absence. "The fact that he decided to come back, having achieved and acquired everything, means he deserves respect," Jones said. "It shows there's a true fighter inside him."


yjc@heraldcorp.com