Following a chaotic conclusion to UFC 321, former heavyweight champion Jon Jones has accepted mild heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s callout for a possible showdown on the UFC’s historic White Home occasion scheduled for June 14, 2026.
UFC 321
The exchange occurred in the wake of Saturday’s disappointing main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where Tom Aspinall’s first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest after an unintentional double eye poke at 4:35 of the opening spherical. The foul left Aspinall unable to see out of his proper eye.
Pereira reacted to the anticlimactic ending by taking to Instagram, the place he posted a cryptic message calling for change within the heavyweight division. The Brazilian champion wrote, “Let’s Make the heavyweight Division Nice Once more!” accompanied by three emojis — a stone face representing his nickname “Poatan,” a bone referencing Jones’s “Bones” moniker, and a white home image indicating his desired location for the battle.
Jones responded swiftly on Twitter, expressing his acceptance of the problem. “Alex, I’d be right down to deliver the best talent degree to the White Home,” Jones wrote. “I recognize the respect you confirmed, let’s dance.”
UFC White Home Occasion and Jon Jones’s Sophisticated Standing
The UFC White Home card represents a major second for the promotion, scheduled to happen on the South Garden of the White Home on June 14, 2026, which coincides with President Donald Trump’s eightieth birthday. The occasion is being deliberate in celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, with weigh-ins anticipated on the Lincoln Memorial and fighters strolling to the octagon from the Oval Workplace.
However, UFC CEO Dana White has expressed severe reservations about reserving Jones for the landmark occasion. At a press convention following UFC 319 in August, White acknowledged he would set “billion to at least one” odds on Jones showing on the White Home card, citing the fighter’s historical past of unreliability attributable to authorized troubles and previous points which have affected his availability.
”Let me ask you, what do you think Jon would do in the next couple of months that would make me trust putting him on the White House card?” White said at the time. “I already said that I don’t trust him, and you’re asking me what could he do for me to trust him in the next three months? You don’t trust him! I don’t talk to him, either. I haven’t talked to him at all.”
Jones retired from active competition in June 2025 rather than accept a heavyweight title unification bout against Aspinall, who held the interim championship for a record 535 days. Following his retirement announcement, Jones was elevated from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion. Shortly after retiring, however, Jones expressed interest in returning specifically for the White House event.
Alex Pereira’s Heavyweight Ambitions and Recent Success
Pereira’s callout comes after he reclaimed the light heavyweight title at UFC 320 on October 4, delivering a devastating first-round knockout of Magomed Ankalaev simply 80 seconds into their rematch. The victory was a shocking reversal from their first encounter at UFC 313 in March, the place Ankalaev gained by unanimous determination to assert the belt.
The Brazilian champion revealed at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference that he had originally planned to call out Jones immediately after his victory, but refrained out of respect following the recent death of Jones’s brother, Arthur Jones, on October 3.
Pereira has been vocal about his desire to move up to heavyweight, a decision that would see him attempt to become the first three-division champion in UFC history. The 38-year-old fighter is already the ninth fighter in UFC history to capture championships in two weight divisions, having held both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles.
White has been lukewarm about Pereira’s heavyweight aspirations. Before UFC 320, the UFC CEO revealed that Pereira approached him requesting a heavyweight fight, to which White responded, “How about you win tonight first, and then we’ll talk about heavyweight?”
”He was a middleweight and he’s going to jump up two weight classes in the UFC,” White explained. “It’s not like jumping up two weight classes in boxing. It’s a big jump. It’s not that I have any reservations about it. He’s in a division that there’s still some interesting fights. I just don’t see why, unless he wants to retire, why throwing him in at heavyweight makes any sense other than I just end up saying he wants to do it so bad, I’ll just say yes.”
Despite White’s hesitation, he has praised Pereira as an invaluable asset to the organization. “This guy has been exceptional for us,” White said. “He traveled from Australia on vacation to step in because someone withdrew. He competes even when he’s injured. He’s eager to face anyone and is keen on moving up to heavyweight. He’s a tremendous asset to have in this organization.”
Heavyweight Division in Disarray
The no-contest result at UFC 321 has left the heavyweight division in a state of uncertainty. White confirmed on the post-fight press convention {that a} rematch between Aspinall and Gane could be organized, although the timing stays unclear.
Saturday’s outcome adds to what has been a frustrating year for the heavyweight division. Aspinall became the longest-serving interim champion in UFC history before being elevated to undisputed champion following Jones’s retirement. The no-contest at UFC 321 means the division remains without a clear direction, with Aspinall hospitalized after the fight due to facial injuries from the eye poke.
According to current UFC rankings updated October 21, 2025, Gane is ranked as the number one heavyweight contender, followed by Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes, and Jailton Almeida in the top five.
The Matchup and Its Implications
A potential fight between Jones and Pereira would represent one of the biggest superfights in UFC history, pitting two of the sport’s most dominant champions against each other. Jones holds significant advantages in wrestling and grappling, while Pereira is regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in combat sports history.
Former UFC fighter Matt Brown analyzed the potential matchup, stating, “The matchup is actually the nightmare matchup for Alex Pereira. Jon is as massive, in all probability slightly bit greater than Alex Pereira. At heavyweight, definitely greater. One million instances higher wrestler. There’s no approach in hell that Alex has wrestling at Jon Jones‘ degree at this level.
Nonetheless, Pereira’s devastating knockout energy offers him an opportunity in any battle. The Brazilian holds an expert MMA document of 13-3, with the vast majority of his wins coming by means of knockout. In kickboxing, he was a former world middleweight and lightweight heavyweight champion, and stays the primary and solely fighter to have held Glory titles in two weight lessons concurrently.
Whether the fight materializes remains uncertain, particularly given White’s stated reluctance to book Jones for the White House card and his hesitation about Pereira moving to heavyweight. However, the public exchange between the two champions following UFC 321’s disappointing conclusion has generated significant buzz and added another compelling storyline to the heavyweight division’s ongoing saga.
