Colby Covington believes Alex Pereira has the power and skills to potentially knock out Jon Jones in a superfight, citing Pereira’s impressive track record and their past training experience together.
Colby Covington has witnessed Alex Pereira’s prowess firsthand. He believes "Poatan" possesses the power to take down Jon Jones.
Covington and Jones? Not exactly best buddies. Once college roommates, they’ve since exchanged more than a few verbal jabs during their fighting careers. Both have thrived post-wrestling days—Covington as a top contender at 170 pounds, and Jones with an unmatched reign as UFC light heavyweight champ, now boasting heavyweight gold too.
In a potential clash between Alex Pereira and Jon Jones, Covington favors Pereira. He thinks Pereira could add Jones to his knockout list.
"For sure," Covington told Submission Radio. Asked if Pereira can dodge Jones’ grappling and land a decisive blow, he didn’t hesitate. "He could definitely catch him. No doubt about it, Jon’s going to shoot for those legs. He won’t want to get cracked by Alex Pereira, so that left hook and those kicks are lethal. I definitely think he can knock out Jon with a nice little left hook."
Pereira was arguably Fighter of the Year in 2024. Headlining three UFC pay-per-views, he defended his title each time via KO/TKO. Although Magomed Ankalaev is the clear No. 1 contender at light heavyweight, there’s buzz about Pereira moving up to heavyweight to face Jones.
Covington’s confidence in Pereira isn’t just talk; they’ve trained together. Before fully embracing MMA and becoming a two-division UFC champ, Pereira shone in kickboxing, snagging Glory belts. Covington recalls helping him transition to cagefighting.
"You can’t help but be impressed with Alex’s work," Covington said. "Showing up last minute, saving cards, knocking people into another dimension." He reminisced about training with Pereira years ago at a gym they both frequented. Glover Teixeira brought Alex along; they were good friends, often fishing and barbecuing together.
"So I helped him with wrestling for a bit," Covington continued. "I respect the guy. He’s a great fighter and has had an incredible run; you can’t downplay what he’s achieved in such a short time."