{"id":557567,"date":"2026-03-22T19:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/557567\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T19:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:14:08","slug":"dana-white-slams-door-on-alex-pereira-and-ilia-topurias-boxing-dreams-no-way-in-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/557567\/","title":{"rendered":"Dana White Slams Door On Alex Pereira And Ilia Topuria\u2019s Boxing Dreams \u2018No Way In Hell\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dana White has ruled out using any UFC platform to stage boxing matches for champions like Alex Pereira<\/a> and Ilia Topuria, shutting down the latest wave of crossover talk coming from his own roster.<\/p>\n

Dana White\u2019s stance at UFC London<\/p>\n

Speaking at the UFC London<\/a> post\u2011fight press conference, White was asked if Zuffa Boxing could ever be used to promote crossover fights for Pereira or Topuria, both of whom have publicly pushed for future moves into boxing. He responded with an emphatic rejection, saying there was \u201cno way in hell\u201d he would oversee those bouts and calling crossover events \u201cs**t\u201d that do not fit the UFC\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n

Dana White just said he\u2019s never letting his top UFC stars like Alex Pereira or Ilia Topuria do a boxing match \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way in hell. For what? The crossover fights suck, that\u2019s not what we do. <\/p>\n

I wanna see the best fighters in the world fight the best fighters in the world.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ua85hjIkH1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

White stressed that his focus remains on matching elite fighters against each other under MMA rules rather than booking one\u2011off spectacles with boxers. He added that there are \u201cother networks and other people\u201d who can handle crossover events, but that it is \u201cnot what I do,\u201d signalling that even with his long\u2011teased Zuffa Boxing brand, he has no interest in following the model<\/a> popularised by other promoters.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Alex Pereira\u2019s long\u2011term boxing ambition<\/p>\n

Pereira, the UFC light heavyweight champion and former two\u2011division kickboxing titleholder, has been open for months about his plan to compete in professional boxing once his MMA run ends. In a recent appearance, he said he is \u201cdefinitely going to box\u201d and stressed that he has already proved doubters wrong in kickboxing and MMA.<\/p>\n

The Brazilian knockout artist framed a boxing campaign as a personal challenge rather than a cash grab, insisting \u201cit\u2019s not about aiming for more money\u201d and that he \u201cjust want[s] to go out there and fight.\u201d Last year he even entertained the idea of a superfight with unified heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, briefly fuelling speculation about a future cross\u2011code clash before White\u2019s latest comments cooled that narrative.<\/p>\n

\"\"LAS VEGAS, NEVADA \u2013 OCTOBER 04: Alex Pereira of Brazil celebrates after defeating Magomed Ankalaev by TKO in the first round during a light heavyweight title bout in UFC 320<\/a>: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ilia Topuria eyeing a full switch<\/p>\n

Topuria, the UFC lightweight champion, has given an even clearer indication that he views boxing as his next chapter after MMA. In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca<\/a>, he said he has \u201calways wanted to try [his] hand at boxing\u201d and admitted he does not expect to stay in MMA \u201ctoo long.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Georgian\u2011Spanish star explained that he wants to \u201cfinish [his] story in mixed martial arts\u201d before making a complete transition, arguing that bouncing between MMA camps and boxing camps would not be \u201cvery professional.\u201d Topuria highlighted the need to adapt to boxing\u2011specific timing, training and the ring environment, and predicted that his eventual move \u201cis going to surprise more than a few people,\u201d a statement now at odds with White\u2019s refusal to facilitate any UFC\u2011backed crossover showcase.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

White\u2019s comments place a clear organisational line between UFC championship campaigns and the type of boxing experiments that have driven recent pay\u2011per\u2011view headlines elsewhere. While Pereira and Topuria continue to talk up long\u2011term plans in the ring, those ambitions will have to wait until they fulfil or exit their UFC obligations, because their promoter has made it clear he will not promote them in boxing under his own banner.<\/p>\n