Signing Alex Pereira turned out to be one of Dana White’s best moves as UFC president, but his early prediction on how the Brazilian would fare in MMA didn’t show much confidence.
Pereira has become a bona fide megastar for the UFC since signing for the company in September 2021, winning two championships in different weight classes.
His iconic rivalry with Israel Adesanya made their Middleweight title matches unmissable, while his one-punch knockout power has made Pereira a true fan favourite, as well as a reliable money-maker for White.
However, moving over from kickboxing and into MMA isn’t always the easiest path, which made White initially doubtful of Pereira’s chances of success in the UFC.
Dana White thought Alex Pereira would struggle in the UFC
Even looking at the likes of Alastair Overeem, decorated kickboxers haven’t always been able to translate that success into UFC gold. This makes Pereira somewhat of an outlier, but White admitted that he expected the Brazilian to suffer a similar fate to kickboxers of the past.
Following UFC 303, when ‘Poatan’ had defended his light-heavyweight title for a second time by knocking out Jiri Prochazka, White had to admit that he was very wrong about Pereira’s UFC chances.
When asked if he expected Pereira’s success, he said: “No, I don’t think like that. Especially when you’ve got a guy coming in from kickboxing, who has this long kickboxing career and who is older coming into the UFC, I think the exact opposite.
“I think this guy’s not going to do well here. He’s going to get taken down, smashed, submitted. […] Man, was I wrong!”
Clearly respecting Pereira’s abilities, White does still think that one career-defining fight may be just beyond what ‘Poatan’ is capable of.
Dana White isn’t sure Alex Pereira could fight Jon Jones
Pereira certainly doesn’t lack ambition, which has been shown by his interest in fighting the widely-renowned Greatest of All Time, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
Jones was also keen on the fight as he called out Pereira after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, but White quashed the idea emphatically.
He said: “You know what tonight [Jones vs Miocic] told me? There’s no f—— way I make the Pereira fight. Jon’s too big, great wrestler, did you see how he took Stipe down in that first round?
“I like Alex Pereira, I like him personally, but it just doesn’t make sense to make that fight.”
When he eventually leaves the UFC, Pereira’s legacy will be undeniable, but he may not get the chance to face off in a blockbuster clash with Jones any time soon.