Paul called out Pereira after stopping Mike Perry in round six on July 20

Jake Paul stunned the fighting world by calling out the UFC light-heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, ahead of his controversial fight with Iron Mike Tyson in November 2024 and an ex-UFC champion warns the YouTuber that Dana White will not block the fight.
White, who runs the UFC, has a mixed relationship with Paul after the 27-year-old called him out for seemingly not paying his fighters enough, and Henry Cejudo warned that the CEO could see this as a chance to silence one of his critics.

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The prospect of a fight with Pereira came to life after The Problem Child brutally knocked out Mike Perry on July 20 to improve his professional record to 10-1.

The Brazilian would be the biggest test of his career so far, with a 13-2 MMA record and 33-7 kickboxing record. The man currently ranked as the #2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound is also considered one of the finest combat athletes of all-time and Cejudo warned Paul of that risk.

Pereira would hurt him, like you see Pereira going up against heavyweights,” Cejudo told his Pound4Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman. “And if Dana White will give a guy like Alex Pereira, to freaking pretty much wipe him out say, ‘Hey man, go out there and hurt him’, I mean…

“But that’s an equal lot of pay-per-view points for, for a guy like Jake Paul. I think I can see Dana White allowing Alex Pereira to take out the dirty work, but that being said, will the fight with Alex Pereira happen?

“Dana White just has to say yes and, you know, we will no longer see Jake Paul, Jake ‘The Snake’ Paul on our social media platforms.”

Woodley says Paul actually called out Dana White

White is known for his strict control of the UFC, perhaps more than what a typical CEO would have of their fighting company, with the right to allow or even ban fighters from heading into other championships and sports.

In the wake of that, Tyron Woodley, ex-welterweight champion, feels that Paul was actually calling out White when he suggested the fight on FaceTime to Pereria, knowing the 37-year-old would need special permission to fight.

“I think it was more so of a Dana callout,” Woodley said of Paul’s decision to offer Pereria a fight. “We all know as a champion, every time you win a strap and defend, your contract is the end of the year.

“He knows that only Dana can make that happen. So, if he’s calling out and he wants it and Pereira wants it, we seen him on Facetime, it’s up to Dana to make this fight happen. So, I think it was more of that than it was anything else.”