Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul? UFC Champ Weighs In on Hypothetical Dream Boxing Fight

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira isn't giving too much thought into a hypothetical boxing match against Jake Paul.

When asked about being called out by Paul, Pereira told TMZ that they both know that a matchup isn't within the realm of possibility right now.

"I have a contract with the UFC, and he knows it. He knows I can't go and fight. I think he's talking a lot more to promote himself than anything else. [Jake] knows it's not possible," Pereira said through his translator.

Paul, who is set to face former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Dec. 19 on Netflix, had included Pereira on his wishlist for potential boxing opponents while speaking to ESPN's Andreas Hale earlier this month.

"His team is down [to do the fight]," Paul said. "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."

While Pereira has an extensive resume in combat sports, he went on to admit that a boxing match against Paul wouldn't necessarily be an easy fight for him.

"He's been having some good fights. He's training. He's fighting good athletes. It'd be a good fight," Pereira said. "I think it'd be a challenge for both of us. I do really well in boxing sparring. I have one pro boxing fight, so I think that when you do things that you enjoy doing, you do them well, so that's how I feel about boxing for myself."

For now, Pereira appears to be steadfast in his pursuit of a fight against former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones at some point in 2026.

"We've made it clear what I want, what [Jones] wants," Pereira said. "Now it's just up to the organization."