Alex
Pereira wasn’t expecting the reaction that Jon Jones had
to his loss against Ciryl
Gane.
Pereira faced Gane for the interim heavyweight title at
UFC White House last weekend. Gane hurt Pereira in the second
round and finished him on the feet, albeit not without the
controversy of some illegal blows.
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Jones reacted to Pereira’s loss by posting a video of himself
wearing a GOAT necklace, signifying the greatest fighter of all
time. Pereira was admittedly surprised by Jones’ reaction to his
loss. Pereira doesn’t understand why Jones chose to kick him while
he was down. Pereira also notes that he had never shown anything
but respect towards “Bones.” Despite the reaction, “Poatan” claims
he will continue being a fan of Jones.
A Confusing Reaction
“To be honest, I was very surprised,” Pereira said on YouTube. “If I was one of the guys that
provoked him, then lose, and then he goes and says something, I’d
understand. But I’ve never spoken bad about Jon Jones.
I’ve always respected… For real, I don’t understand why he did
that. In a moment so difficult, he decided to provoke someone who’s
never provoked him. Look at the difference. When he was going
through a difficult time, I sent him support… Even with all this
I’ll not stop being a fan of him. I’ve always spoken well about
him.”
Pereira (13-4) and Jones (28-1) have been respectful towards each
other in the past. Pereira had even called
for a White House matchup against Jones, who was begging to be
on the card. Jones had even thanked Pereira for his callout. In
Jones’ defense, his latest dig was likely more at Dana White than
at Pereira. White had been lauding Jones as the GOAT before he
abruptly retired last year without fighting then-interim champ
Tom
Aspinall. White had said that he would consider Pereira the
GOAT if he defeated Gane at the White House.