A lot happened at the second annual Noche UFC 306 pay-per-view (PPV) event last night at The Sphere. Quite a few fighters mounded up good fights. Some new champs came out of the scraps. The venue itself was a treat with the music, visuals, cartridges of storytelling, and fitting tribute. But the biggest showstoppers were Jon Jones and Alex Pereira.
The duo are two of the biggest superstars right now, among the upper echelon of weight classes. There have also been talks about a potential mega-fight with ‘Bones’ when Alex Pereira teased moving up to 265-pound limits; twice. However, there seems to be no animosity between the MMA giants as they even posed for a photo at the MGM ‘Sphere’ card. Jon Jones sat to the right of ‘Poatan’ and his coach Plinio Cruz during the event. They later danced to the celebration tunes of the event.
Pereira and Team Jackson’s MMA Acoma heavyweight also went viral dancing with model-turned-content creator Nina-Marie Daniele. Daniele hosts funny skits and Fight Week one-on-one interviews during the ceremonial ‘Embedded’ vlog coverages. She has interviewed ‘Poatan’ many times, all the way back from UFC 287. She also interviewed Jones for his UFC 285 pay-per-view 265-pound debut.
Jones was a big part of the Noche Pay-per-view even though he didn’t fight. The fighter has been out on an injury since his R1 submission over Ciryl Gane last year. However, UFC 306 PPV broadcasts (after 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV main card) finally confirmed Jones vs. Stipe Miocic rebooking. They are to fight atop the UFC 309 PPV at the MSG Arena. The whole matter, and this meetup, has gone quite viral.
Fans’ react to Alex Pereira and Jon Jones stealing spotlight at The Sphere
[G.O.A.T.] [meets] [Easter Island Moai]… That’s how UFC captioned a certain image of Jon Jones meeting Alex Pereira. Despite being a division apart, recent times have seen these two names come up together a lot. This weekend’s UFC 306 Noche pay-per-view (PPV) was just another.
Fans react to the linkup (Source: heavy.com/Pinterest/X)Pereira stimulated the conversation even further after another defense of the LHW title atop the UFC 303 PPV. The 37-year-old once again voiced his willingness to go up to heavyweight limits. Jones is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Before making the long-awaited move to heavyweight in 2023, he ruled the 205-pound LHW division for the better part of a decade.
Meanwhile, Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira keeps to his stoic warrior demeanor. His vocab, or lack thereof helps. Pereira has been known to be funny once in a while. But the linkup, and him letting loose to tango is a big change from his usual disposition. Here are a few reactions to it:
Everytime Jon is in Vegas we know what happens… incoming mugshot by 3am😭💀
— Kota (@kotamarrello) September 15, 2024
Jon looking much slimmer than what he looked vs Gane. It may be the black shirt but he & Alex both look the same size here. Jon needs to stick around after the Stipe fight, there still guys for him to fight. He needs to fight Tom & if he beats him, a fight vs Alex would be fire
— The Combat Sports Matrixer (@TheCSMatrixer) September 15, 2024
Dang Alex is huge! Can’t believe he fought at 185 🤯
— TooFastTooFurious (@NoCrust) September 15, 2024
Comments ranged from the fight’s outcome to Jones’ run-ins with the law in Vegas. Even the size of ‘Bones’ before his return. Size parity or not, the sizzle of the idea of such a Jones vs. Pereira fight is one for ages.
Some fans have jokingly likened Pereira to an Easter egg, as UFC CEO Dana White recently announced a $25,000 prize for the first fan to find the hidden eggs at The Sphere. Seeing him break character and enjoy around familiar company, a comment (@1of1LaLa) even quipped “Poatan is borderline smiling“. As such, these linkups are what fans look forward to, outside the elements of the fight itself.
