White: I'd give Jones the Pereira fight if he beats Aspinall

UFC CEO Dana White said Friday he'd grant Jon Jones' wish of a superfight against Alex Pereira if the heavyweight champion faces and beats Tom Aspinall.

"If he beats Tom Aspinall, then, yes, I would do the Alex Pereira fight," White said on "The Pat McAfee Show."

Jones is scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Saturday in New York. The 37-year-old has remained adamant he has no interest in facing Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion, after the Madison Square Garden event and instead wants to take on Pereira, the light heavyweight king. Jones has gone as far as to say he's willing to vacate his belt in order to face Pereira and that he plans to retire if the promotion opts not to book that matchup next.

White's most recent comments seem to be a slight change of tune from the UFC CEO saying Thursday that a fight between Jones and Pereira was "not happening."

"If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall," White said on "The Jim Rome Show."

Jones said earlier this week he prefers the Pereira fight because it does more for his legacy. He also said Aspinall has been disrespectful toward him and called the Englishman an "asshole."

However, White said it's Jones' responsibility, with two heavyweight champions in the UFC, to unify the belts.

"Opportunities were given to Jon Jones. He was 23, he was the youngest (light) heavyweight champion of all time," White said Friday. "Now, as he sits where he sits, it's his obligation to give it to the younger guy, to give him that opportunity."

He added: "You can't just wanna do a fun fight and not fight the interim heavyweight champion, the guy who's next. If Jon Jones retired on Saturday, Tom Aspinall would be the heavyweight champion."