Alex Pereira will be returning to action soon and UFC CEO Dana White is overflowing with praise for the Brazilian star! ‘Poatan’ is coming off a spectacular second-round finish of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. He made the second defense of his title after stepping in on short notice to ‘save’ the event after Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s bout fell through due to the Irishman’s toe injury.

This willingness to take on challenges has left the UFC boss highly impressed. Taking just 7 bouts to win two titles in different weight classes, Pereira’s accomplishments are undeniable. Now, with his next bout at UFC 307 set, Dana White made a surprising confession about the Brazilian warrior, one that speaks volumes about Pereira’s relentless spirit.

Dana White lauds “bada**” Alex Pereira, but raises concerns about the consequences of his decisions  

The MMA community was sent into a frenzy when the UFC boss dropped a bombshell recently about Alex Pereira’s next bout. At UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the event will be headlined by a clash between ‘Poatan’ and no. 8 ranked contender, Khalil Rountree Jr.

In a video shared on Instagram by ‘Home of Fight’, an interesting interaction was shared between the UFC head honcho and Pereira. Already having fought twice this year at UFC 300 and UFC 303, White shared that, “…we call him, I got goosebumps, we call him, we need you, f***king deal… flys in, f**king does the fight. ”

But with great power comes great responsibility—or in this case, a need for protection. White admitted that “Sometimes when you got a dude that’s this bada**, you almost have to protect them from themselves…he wants to do it, you have to protect him from himself.”

Interestingly, White also drew parallels between Alex Pereira and his kickboxing/UFC rival, Israel Adesanya. According to the UFC boss, “What’s ironic is, him and Israel Adesanya. 2 guys that came from kickboxing, 2 guys that had a crazy history together, 2 guys that shouldn’t have shouldn’t have been able to come in here.”

White further went on to highlight how these two elite athletes have been successful to the highest degree with their incredible adaptation to the world of MMA by defending takedowns, surviving submission attempts, and more. But not everyone is happy with Alex Pereira’s latest opponent for UFC 307 as a prominent name in the light heavyweight division questioned the UFC’s decision.

‘Sweet Dreams’ not in favor of UFC 307 light heavyweight title clash  

Jamahal Hill, the former UFC light heavyweight champion wasn’t too happy with the announcement of ‘Poatan’s upcoming clash against Khalil Rountree Jr. Taking to X to make his thoughts known, Hill stated, “Can’t believe what I just saw announced!!! So a guy pulls out of a contender fight because of failed dr*g test for a banned substances and gets rewarded with a title shot?!! This is terrible for the sport and makes the rankings completely pointless!!!”

Earlier this year, Rountree Jr. was handed a suspension after self-reporting to the promotion that he had ingested a supplement that contained DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), an anabolic compound that is on the banned list for athletes. This resulted in him getting pulled out from his UFC 303 bout on June 29 against Hill, which is where the former champion’s issue with his bout against Pereira stems from.

As such, Hill’s frustration with Khalil Rountree Jr. getting a title shot against Alex Pereira is hard to ignore. His concerns aren’t just about this one fight but what it means for the future of the sport and how it will affect the rankings as Magomed Anakalaev, the number 2 ranked fighter in the division seemingly got snubbed for this fight. Do you think the UFC made the right call to set up UFC 307 between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr.? And what are your views on ‘Poatan’s impressive level of activity? Let us know in the comments below!