Dana White isn’t a fan of UFC
fighters crossing over to boxing.
Advertisement
After criticizing the boxing model for years, White recently
teased a venture into the Sweet Science with
“guns blazing” in 2025. This somehow led one of the UFC’s biggest
current superstars, Alex Pereira, to believe that White’s boxing
venture will start with him.
Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree
in the main event at UFC 307on
Oct. 5 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. If successful,
the former Glory Kickboxing champ will set a promotional record
with three UFC title defenses in a span of 175 days. While Pereira
has a chance to become a three-sport champion if he steps into the
squared circle, White likes the scope of what more he can achieve
in the UFC.
Although White will delve in pugilism in the near future, he is not
a fan of crossover fights. The UFC head honcho prefers that all
combat artists stay in their respective lanes.
Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order
Now!
„I don’t know. I mean when you look at where he is right now in his
career. He’s at the top of the game… If he wins the fight on
Saturday night then God knows what other records he could break
here,” White recently told Kevin Iole. “He’s 38 years old, which is
even more impressive. That on top of everything else. I don’t know,
I’m not even thinking about that kind of stuff. I’m not thinking
about crossover fights, I hate crossover fights. I respect the fact
that [Alex] wants to do it, and I know that there’s tons of other
fighters that probably want to do it. But I want everybody to stay
in their own lane.“
Aside from Conor McGregor’s boxing loss against Floyd Mayweather in
2017, White has never allowed a UFC fighter to compete in other
sports simultaneously. This even led to Francis Ngannou parting
ways with the promotion after a lengthy contract dispute.
Meanwhile, Pereira is by no means the average UFC fighter. “Poatan”
had just four pro MMA fights to his name when he made his UFC debut
in Novembe, 2021. The Brazilian has since won UFC titles in two
different divisions, fast tracking his rise to superstardom.