Jones clarifies viral GOAT post after Pereira's knockout loss to Gane at UFC White House

Jon Jones has publicly clarified that a viral video of him wearing a GOAT necklace was not directed at Alex Pereira, whose bid to become the UFC’s first three-division champion ended in a second-round knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House.

Pereira had entered the contest for the vacant interim heavyweight title having already claimed belts at middleweight (185 lbs) and light heavyweight (205 lbs). Victory over Gane would have made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles across three weight classes. Instead, he was stopped in the second round — a result that has since been overshadowed by Pereira’s public dispute with referee Herb Dean over what he claims were illegal strikes in the finishing sequence.

Amid that fallout, Jones posted a video of himself wearing a GOAT necklace that many interpreted as a pointed response to pre-fight talk suggesting Pereira would claim the greatest-of-all-time mantle with a win. Jones is now setting the record straight.

“After the fight, I made a video that went pretty viral,” Jones told Red Corner MMA. “It was just a video of me with a GOAT necklace on and I was just making a look and I felt as if that felt like an attack to Alex and I just want to say here, if he sees this interview, that I meant no disrespect to Alex.

“A lot of people before the fight were saying if Alex wins, he’s the greatest of all time. My little video after Alex’s loss was a message to all my haters. It wasn’t directed towards Alex, so I want to make that really clear. I have nothing but respect for Alex.”

Jones himself is a two-division UFC champion, having held the light heavyweight title — the same division Pereira conquered — before moving up to heavyweight. Unlike Pereira, Jones spent three years preparing for the transition, eventually stopping Gane at UFC 285 to claim a belt vacated by Francis Ngannou, then following up with a dominant defence against Stipe Miocic.

That measured approach, Jones suggested, may highlight what went wrong for Pereira against the same opponent.

“I felt like Pereira, he came in too big,” Jones said. “I think he would have been better off fighting around 230, 235, keeping that speed. I feel like his power would have possibly translated over.”

Jones also pointed to a mental hesitancy he observed in Pereira during the fight. “He was waiting. He was second-guessing things, he was questioning things. That’s one of the worst things to do in a fight. You find yourself out there watching instead of doing and I’ve had it happen to me many times in practice — I felt like that’s what happened to Alex. He never really got his ball rolling.”

Jones added that Gane’s southpaw stance and unorthodox movement created a difficult tactical puzzle for Pereira. “Ciryl Gane came at him in southpaw stance, which also I think challenges Pereira. He was fast, he was powerful, he was unorthodox, and it was the perfect storm for Pereira.”