“Ankalaev Is Not Next”: Dana White and Netflix Could Join Forces for Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul, Says Ex-UFC Star

Allan Binoy | 24/12/2024
Alex Pereira (L), Magomed Ankalaev (R)

A super fight between Alex Pereira and Jake Paul could be a bit of a stretch of the good-old imagination as things stand now. But former UFC fighter Alan Jouban has floated the idea, citing Dana White’s ambitions, Jake Paul’s star power, and the growing trend of crossover fights as reasons for it to become a reality.

“Alex Pereira said [Magomed] Ankalaev is not the next guy in line,” Jouban said on Sirius XM, before speculating on the future course for the fighters.

With Alex dismissing Ankalaev as his next opponent, and Jon Jones likely to square off against Tom Aspinall in 2025, Jouban said that White might be eyeing a different kind of blockbuster matchup for Pereira.

Jouban pointed out that Paul’s fights have generated massive numbers and interest in the past. His showdown with Mike Tyson on Netflix was a blockbuster hit. White might see potential in pairing Pereira with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

With Netflix’s global reach and White’s known interest in exploring boxing promotions, the partnership could create a platform to maximize both viewership and revenue.

While things are purely speculative as of now, this aligns with White’s recent promise of “unexpected fights” in 2025. The UFC boss has been known to shake things up. This potential partnership with Paul would be yet another way to blur the lines between combat sports and entertainment, while reaping the benefits from both worlds.

Although UFC fans will be excited to hear a news like this, there are purists who would feel they are being cheated out of a title tussle.

Ankalaev calls out Pereira

Ankalaev has been rallying for a title shot against Pereira. He is widely regarded as one of the biggest threats left in the division for the UFC light heavyweight champion. The fans have been harping for the matchup too.


However, Poatan continues to shut down the idea.“It won’t be Ankalaev,” he said. And Ankalaev, understandably frustrated, has responded by calling Pereira a “chicken”.

It will be unfortunate if Ankalaev doesn’t get his title shot despite being the #1 contender. It would also make White’s statement about the seriousness of UFC rankings an utter joke.

After all, if the champions get to pick and choose who they fight, then the rankings, and contender statuses would all become meaningless.

Post Edited By: Leslie Xavier
Alex Pereira Jake Paul

About the author

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Allan Binoy

Allan Binoy is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush. Taken to the sport in 2015, thanks to a certain Conor McGregor, Allan has himself dabbled in the martial arts. And having graduated from Loyola College, Chennai, with a degree in English Literature, he has learnt to use his love for language to have a voice in the MMA community. Allan has been writing about the gladiatorial stories for more than three years now and has pursued excellence at a number of reputable media organizations, covering every UFC PPV in the last couple of years. In addition to this, the southpaw is also a semi-professional soccer player for Diego Juniors FC in Pune, playing in the Pune Super Division League.

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