Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul Boxing Match: Why the UFC Champion Is Open to It
Alex Pereira confirmed he’s willing to trade the octagon for the boxing ring against Jake Paul, but there’s a significant catch keeping the matchup off the table. The UFC light heavyweight champion sat down with TMZ Sports and explained his position on the boxing challenge that Paul has repeatedly dangled over the past year.
Alex Pereira vs. Jake Paul
When asked directly about squaring off with Paul in a sanctioned boxing match, Pereira didn’t dismiss the idea outright. Instead, he acknowledged the genuine competitive appeal of facing the YouTuber-turned-boxer. “I think it would be a challenge for both of us,” Pereira told the outlet through a translator. “He’s been having some good fights. He’s training. He’s fighting tough athletes, so it’d be a good fight.”
Pereira’s perspective on Paul carries weight because the light heavyweight champion isn’t some newcomer to boxing. His background extends well beyond the typical MMA striker profile. The 38-year-old Brazilian spent years as a professional kickboxer before transitioning to mixed martial arts, compiling a 33-7 record in the sport with 21 knockout victories across multiple promotions including Glory.
On top of that, Pereira boasts one sanctioned professional boxing match on his record. His experience in sparring rounds further supports his confidence in the discipline. “I do really well in boxing sparring. I have one pro boxing fight, so I think when you do things that you enjoy doing, you do them well, so that’s how I feel about boxing for myself,” Pereira explained.
But for all the theoretical intrigue, the fight remains impossible under current circumstances. Pereira was direct about the barrier preventing this matchup. “I have a contract with the UFC, and he knows it. He knows I can’t go and fight. So I think he’s talking a lot more to promote himself than anything else. He knows it’s not possible,” Pereira told TMZ.
Paul himself has been operating in overdrive on the boxing calendar. The 28-year-old is set to face Anthony Joshua on December 19, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami in an eight-round heavyweight contest that will stream on Netflix. This represents a significant step up in competition for Paul, who holds a 12-1 professional boxing record with seven knockout victories. His most recent outing came against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June 2025, which Paul won via unanimous decision after ten rounds. Before that, he defeated Mike Tyson by unanimous decision in November 2024, an event that drew 65 million concurrent viewers on Netflix and became the biggest boxing gate in U.S. history outside of Las Vegas.
Joshua enters the matchup as a former two-time unified heavyweight champion with significantly more professional boxing experience than Paul. Joshua has not competed since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 and has linked up with the team behind reigning champion Oleksandr Usyk to prepare for the bout. There’s a weight restriction in place for the fight, with Joshua capped at 245 pounds despite historically fighting at around 250 pounds, while Paul typically operates at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit.
Meanwhile, Pereira’s focus remains squarely on his UFC duties. The Brazilian is reportedly set to defend his light heavyweight title against Carlos Ulberg on January 24, 2026, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, marking the inaugural event under the UFC’s new broadcasting agreement with Paramount+. Ulberg has established himself as the division’s top contender through an eight-fight winning streak and most recently defeated Dominick Reyes via first-round technical knockout in September 2025. Pereira himself reclaimed the light heavyweight strap in October by stopping Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds at UFC 320.
