While some fans may term it diplomacy shaped by practical realities, a few might view it as a truce between two gentlemen who understood the irrelevance of a feud and decided to bury it early. The video of Jon Jones reaching out to Alex Pereira at the UFC 329 pre-fight event has been gaining traction.

The footage of the interaction shows the former heavyweight champion speaking with Pereira through his interpreter and team member Plinio Cruz. Jon Jones, whose protégé Gable Steveson is set to make his UFC debut on the preliminary card of the event headlined by Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, came clear on his assessment of Pereira, including the role Dana White allegedly played in stoking the beef with the Brazilian.

“I want Alex to know that I have no disrespect for Poatan,” Jones told Cruz as Pereira watched him closely. “Dana White was saying, ‘Hey, you know, he’s going to be the greatest fighter ever.’ I felt offended by Dana’s comments. I felt like Dana was trying to attack me. Somebody’s trying to take everything from you, and I was just like, oh, man. So, I meant no disrespect for Pereira. So much respect. Chama!”

While Jones concluded the interaction with a friendly hug that saw Alex Pereira lunge at him and them both play-fighting soon after, it’s important to understand why someone like Jones felt compelled to offer an apology and come clear on the misunderstanding.

Jones’ admission of a mistake stems from the events that followed last month’s UFC Freedom 250 card that took place on the White House South Lawn. Headlined by the title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, the show featured Pereira moving up a weight class to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title.

With reigning champion Tom Aspinall still on the sidelines, the move was career-defining for Pereira, since a win over Gane would have made him the first fighter in UFC history to become a three-division title holder. But as things turned out, instead of staging an upset, the bout ended in a rout as Gane stopped the Brazilian in the second round.

The aftermath featured clips of Jones reacting to Pereira’s loss by wearing a chain with a GOAT face embossed on it, seemingly suggesting he was still the GOAT. That reaction itself followed Dana White’s claims that Pereira will become the MMA GOAT with a win over the French heavyweight. Later, Jones added to the meme by posting a message congratulating Gane on his win with a GOAT emoji. Jones’s move, however, disappointed Alex Pereira.

“I saw the video, and, honestly, I was surprised,” Pereira later said. “If it were someone who had been provoking him and then lost, and he said something afterward, okay, that would make sense. But I’ve never spoken badly about Jon Jones. I’ve always respected him.

“A lot of people asked me, ‘Alex, do you consider yourself the greatest?’ Tell him to post any interview where I said that if I win, I’d be the greatest. If people consider me the greatest, okay. If they don’t, that’s okay too. I’m making my money; I’m making history. Whether I am or not, that’s not for me to decide.”

Already frustrated with referee Herb Dean, who officiated the Gane fight, he may also have been disturbed because months ago, when Aspinall’s title defense against Gane fell apart after the accidental eye poke, Pereira and Jones had entered a silent pact over social media to make the heavyweight division great again.

The older Jon Jones seems more interested in closure than conflict

Viewed through that context, it becomes important to understand that while throughout his career Jon Jones developed intense rivalries, he later made it a point to bury the hatchet and mend relationships with those same individuals.

There are several examples. The most notable is the much-publicized feud with Daniel Cormier. Jones and DC were involved in a rivalry that spilled even outside the cage. However, years later, the two started interacting, sharing cameras, putting their beef to an end.

Similarly, after bitter exchanges, Jones settled the differences with Alexander Gustafsson and Rampage Jackson.

A more practical reading of the situation reveals a careful consideration on the part of Jones. With Tom Aspinall’s return still uncertain and Gane occupying the interim championship, the heavyweight division appears to remain in flux.

In that mix, Pereira, whose chances of going back to the light heavyweight division remain slim, may still try to find a footing with a matchup against a rising contender like Josh Hokit.

So, with expectations surrounding a matchup against someone like Pereira, who, despite his accomplishments and star status, is still new to the division, Jones could be hoping for one last run in an extended career that has been surrounded by retirement rumors.