This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Jake Paul says that he will be the world champion of the cruiserweight division in two years, but it seems like he has his eyes set on UFC Champion Alex Pereira first.
After a six-round beatdown on Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s Mike Perry, Paul called out Pereira, who is coming off a brutal knockout victory against Jiri Prochazaka at UFC 303.
“Alex Pereria, you said that you want to box—I’m – I’m the king of this, I’m the king of this, come over,” Paul said. “We can make it happen, I want you, Alex Pereria.
Just moments after the callout, Paul’s business partner and Most Valuable Promotions co-founder, Nakisa Bidarian, handed The Problem Child a phone with a FaceTime call from Pereira.
“Will Dana [White] let you out [of your UFC contract]?” Paul asked.
“We’ll talk to him,” Pereira said.
Paul went on to tell Pereira that he’s light work and to tell UFC CEO Dana White that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Then, the call disconnected as Paul hung up, and Pereira burst out laughing.
White is notoriously, publicly against Paul’s boxing circus. Every time Paul boxes an ex-MMA fighter, he’s won. According to reports, White offered Perry a new UFC contract if he was able to knock out Paul.
It’s clear that the UFC boss dislikes Paul, but letting one of the biggest combat sports stars out of his contract seems wildly unlikely. Perhaps Pereira saw an opportunity to have some fun with the callout and immediately jumped in on a viral moment.
Pereira just turned 37, and we know Paul’s affinity for fighting older MMA guys. However, Poatan is on top of his game. He’s on a four-fight winning streak, with his last loss coming in April 2023 against Israel Adesanya. He’s a former UFC middleweight champion and the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion.
White is currently tempted to match up Pereira with Jon Jones, who is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. Even after Pereira’s dominance in recent years, White still publicly backs Jones as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
Meanwhile, Paul’s next fight is expected to be on November 15 in Dallas. The long-awaited Netflix showdown against legendary Mike Tyson could finally be happening.
“Mike, I love you, but this is my sport now,’’ Paul said. “You’re a legend. You’re one of the two most famous boxers to ever live. You and Muhammad Ali. It’s an honor to get in the ring with you. I’m so, so honored, you’re a legend.
“But I’m going to take your throne, brother.”
Calling out 58-year-old Tyson is not going to get Paul any closer to his goal of becoming a world champion. But it will make him a lot of money.
Fighting Pereira would probably make both men pretty rich, too. And that’s what this entire charade is all about.
