Not many people know but Alex Pereira started his fighting career as an amateur boxer. You heard that right. The man that kicked Jiri Prochazka into the shadow realm did his finest work with his hands of stone, when he started competing. Not just that. In a career spanning 28 fights, all 25 bouts that he won came by knockout. And like most of his UFC peers, the light heavyweight champion wants to cross-over and box. But ‘Poatan’ doesn’t just want anyone, he wants Oleksandr Usyk—who, last year, became the first undisputed boxing heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis in 2003.

“That’s [a boxing match is] something that I really want… I don’t know how I would, but someday I would really like to do it. I’m the champ. I would like to fight the champ. So Oleksandr Usyk,” Pereira told ‘Rampage’ Jackson on the latter’s podcast.

Since this comment was made in passing, no one really took the call-out very seriously. But you know who took it seriously? Usyk. In a recent interview, the Ukrainian claimed that he probably has only two more fights left in him—the first a fight against the winner of the upcoming Daniel Dubois-Joseph Parker clash for the IBF belt. And the second and final fight of his career? “Maybe a show fight with Alex Pereira. Maybe, why not?,” the unified heavyweight champ said.

With both Pereira and Usyk on-board, the ball is now in UFC CEO Dana White‘s court. ‘Poatan’ is under contract with the UFC, and if he wants to get biggest payday of his career (which an Usyk fight would be), he needs White’s blessings and cooperation. But will he get it? Well, verbose UFC analyst Chael Sonnen certainly thinks so.

“Alex Pereira has a relationship with the folks in the Middle East. Usyk is partners with the folks in the Middle East. Dana White, generally, would not have anything to do with this. But most people don’t ask Dana nicely. Most people think the right way to get Dana’s attention is to come out and to insult him. Those people end up with nothing every single time,” Sonnen declared on his ‘Bad Guy Inc’ YouTube show.

“This feels different. Not to mention it’s not our guy being an MMA [fighter] calling out a top boxer. Like I’m not sure I’m making this piece for you if Pereira called out Usyk. It’s not the same, it would have been weird and we’ve seen it 20 times, and again, it’s the road to nowhere. This is different. Usyk did the calling out and he seemed quite sincere,” he added.

Oleksandr Usyk did indeed seem sincere, and the Ukrainian isn’t the type to sell wolf tickets. If the boxing champion says something, he means it. And as ‘Uncle Chael’ pointed out, Usyk and Dana White have good relations with the Saudis, who could very well get the UFC CEO to agree to the cross-over fight, and perhaps even rope in the UFC as co-promoters for the fight. But just as the prospects of an Usyk fight is gaining momentum, Pereira has floated another, perhaps even more exciting fight.

Alex Pereira still wants to fight Jon Jones

Before he called out Oleksandr Usyk, Alex Pereira had another heavyweight in his sights—UFC champion Jon Jones. Indeed, the light heavyweight champ had repeatedly called on Dana White to let him move up and fight Jones for the heavyweight title last year. And Jones, like Usyk, agreed and spoke of wanting Pereira more than once.

But that didn’t materialize. The UFC CEO was against the idea, and despite a pressure campaign from the fans and even Joe Rogan, White held firm. Instead, Jones is in negotiations to fight interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall. However, Pereira, who is set to face Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 next month, is still interested in fighting Jones, considered the MMA GOAT by most.

“There is an interest, there is a potential. Even Jon Jones expressed himself [that he wants to fight me]. We wanted to do this, we want [to do it], now its up to the UFC to make it happen,” Pereira said through a translator at a recent public appearance. The Brazilian has laid out the options, and now it is up to Dana White to make a decision. Who would you like to see Pereira fight next?