Written by Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones | Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Jon Jones’ jiu-jitsu coach Roberto “Tussa” Alencar insists that Stipe Miocic deserves respect, and should not be overlooked ahead of UFC 309, but most of the pre-fight chatter in New York is centered around who would “Bones” face if he does not retire this weekend at Madison Square Garden.
Alencar feels that some fans have forgotten how great Miocic is given his long layoff since losing to Francis Ngannou in March of 2021, but “the heavyweight GOAT” can upset Jones — and deserves respect for that.
“We can’t think about [Tom] Aspinall or [Alex Pereira] ‘Poatan’ right now,” Alencar said. “We’re asked about it and we answer, but our focus is on Stipe. We respect the champion he is. This is the fight we wanted since day one. [Jones] went to heavyweight aiming at Stipe, the heavyweight GOAT. I believe some fans want to see Jon’s downfall, and Stipe is capable of winning this fight on the feet and on the ground. He’s proven that, knocking out a lot of heavyweights and taking Francis down for five rounds. Stipe has a well-rounded game, and we respect how dangerous he is.”
Jones has mentioned a desire to compete in “superfights” after UFC 309, and even suggested vacating the heavyweight belt to chase “fun fights,” and his coach said there’s no chance Jones places his glove on the octagon to announce his retirement with a win over Miocic.
“It won’t be the end, unless the UFC wants that,” Alencar said. “If the UFC wants to do a superfight, he’s willing to entertain megafights. Francis in Abu Dhabi, which has a ton of money and can do a megafight like that, or ‘Poatan’, who I believe is a fight that interests Jon for the legacy.”
Ngannou recently returned to mixed martial arts after a short and lucrative — but winless — experience in boxing and dismantled PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira inside one round in Saudi Arabia. However, Alencar calls Pereira — the UFC light heavyweight king and former UFC middleweight and two-division GLORY champion — “more dangerous” than Ngannou.
“Francis has the boxing, ‘Poatan’ has everything,” Alencar said. “[Pereira] has the sharp boxing, he has the kicks, the flying knees and everything else. I think ‘Poatan’ has more weapons than Francis. You can kind of guess what Francis will do. He has the left hook and the right hand combination, but ‘Poatan’ has the experience on the feet. To me, he’s the most dangerous [than Ngannou and Aspinall], for sure, for being lighter and having that massive knockout power.”
On the ground, however, “Tussa” sees the UFC interim titleholder as a trickier match-up.
“In the jiu-jitsu area, Tom is [more dangerous] because he has an aggressive jiu-jitsu and submissions,” Alencar said. “I’m a fan of Alex for everything he’s doing in his career, but I believe Tom Aspinall, with his credentials… We know ‘Poatan’ comes from a kickboxing background and is training hard on his takedown and judo, I saw a video of him training with Kayla Harrison, but for being heavier and younger and having that experience on the ground, I think that Tom Aspinall gives Jon more work [on the ground].”