Alex Pereira's savage sparring session catches Jon Jones' attention

While recovering from his pectoral tendon tear, Jon Jones took to Instagram to compliment Alex Pereira, who shared a brief clip of a group sparring session and can be seen in a back-and-forth exchange with one of his gym's fighters.

The reigning UFC heavyweight champion flocked to the comment section of Pereira's post to highlight how the intensity of the sparring session was heightened. It was a rare moment for Jones having a positive interaction with another UFC roster-mate.

Jon Jones' reaction to Alex Pereira's sparring session

At one point in time, Pereira and Jones would have crossed swords, given that Jones ruled the UFC light heavyweight division not that long ago. However, he relinquished the 205-pound strap in pursuit of heavyweight gold. Meanwhile, Pereira made his promotional debut at middleweight.

However, given how draining the weight cut to 185 pounds proved, 'Poatan' made the change to light heavyweight, where he managed to capture the divisional crown. Having TKO'd former light heavyweight kingpin Jiří Procházka to capture the vacant title, fans are still awaiting the Brazilian's first title defense.

Following his victory at UFC 295, 'Poatan' used his post-fight interview to issue a public challenge to his career rival, Israel Adesanya. He implored 'The Last Stylebender' to cut his hiatus short and make his octagon return against him at light heavyweight.

Despite his hopes, Pereira's challenge was turned down by Adesanya, who maintains that he has no reason to face 'Poatan' again, given that his previous win over him was enough to settle the score. Meanwhile, Jones is currently nursing one of the worst injuries of his career but is still expected to face Stipe Miocic.

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Is Jon Jones ducking Tom Aspinall?

An undisputed champion is obligated to face the interim champion in a title unification bout. At least, those used to be the rules. Jon Jones is the current UFC heavyweight champion, while Tom Aspinall is the division's interim titleholder. The Englishman has not been shy about his desire to beat Jones.

However, Jones has expressed little interest in facing him. According to Jones, there is little value and far greater risk in facing someone like Aspinall. Instead, he'd much rather opt for a more well-known opponent who comes at a lower risk in Stipe Miocic.