UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira has closed the door on the possibility of fighting Jake Paul.
Pereira, fresh off his third title defense after finishing Khalil Rountree in round four of their UFC 307 headliner, revealed that he plans to take time off, with a projected return around March.
While “Poatan” had previously shown some interest in a potential boxing match against Paul — who is set to fight Mike Tyson next month — he made it clear that this fight is not in the cards. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned, the Brazilian suggested that Paul wouldn’t be calling him out if it weren’t for his UFC contract.
“I’m going to be honest, of course boxing interests me,” Pereira said when asked about a future boxing match with Paul. “But he knows that I’m under contract with the UFC, and I can’t just leave. I think that’s why he calls [me out] and says all of that.”
“If the UFC were a league that allowed everyone to fight everywhere, he wouldn’t be saying that,” Pereira added.
