Outside Source
Jake Paul is ready to square off against “Poatan.” | Christian Peterson/Getty Images
Jake Paul claims the UFC is getting in the way of a potential boxing matchup against Alex Pereira.
Paul was scheduled to fight Gervonta Davis in an exhibition boxing matchup on a Netflix card on Nov. 14 in Miami. However, the fight fell through after Davis was sued by his ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel for aggravated battery, among other charges.
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Paul is on the lookout for new opponents to headline a Netflix boxing card by the end of the year. “The Problem Child” is eyeing Terence Crawford , Ryan Garcia, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, KSI and Alex Pereira.
Paul claims to have had initial conversations with Pereira’s team regarding a potential boxing match. While Pereira’s team is allegedly interested, Paul claims the UFC is getting in the way.
“His team is down [to do the fight],” Paul told ESPN. “I think the only thing preventing it is the UFC and if these guys can get out of their contracts to fight me. It would be a massive fight at some point, and I know he’s down to make it happen.”
MVP Exec: It’s the Perfect Fight to Show Jake’s Dominance
Dana White hasn’t let UFC fighters compete in boxing since Conor McGregor’s loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017. While fans are likely to favor Pereira against Paul, Nakisa Bidarian, co-owner of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, believes White might have a different opinion. Bidarian claims White would have no issue with UFC fighters fighting Paul if he thought that they could beat him.
“I think that is a perfect fight to further show Jake’s dominance over the best of the best in MMA,” Bidarian said. “I think many would dismiss it and say Pereira would kill Jake Paul, but somebody should ask [UFC CEO] Dana White and see what he says. If Dana White ever actually felt comfortable that one of his martial artists could beat Jake Paul, he would 100 percent endorse it because no matter what Dana may say, there’d be nothing he would enjoy more than seeing Jake Paul lose.”
Pereira (13-3) reclaimed his light heavyweight title with a knockout win over Magomed Ankalaev at Noche UFC last month. “Poatan” is now rallying for a heavyweight super fight against Jon Jones at the White House in June 2026.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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