Dana White isn’t a fan of UFC fighters crossing over to boxing.
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.
UFC 307: 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.
