Dana White: ‘Man, was I wrong’ about Alex Pereira’s UFC career

farah hannoun and ken hathaway

Mon, 1 Jul 2024, 5:10 pm·10-min read

LAS VEGAS – UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has surpassed Dana White’s expectations.

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) notched his second title defense by knocking out Jiri Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) a second time in this past Saturday’s UFC 303 main event at T-Mobile Arena.

Pereira, a former two-division Glory Kickboxing champion, has replicated his success across two weight classes in the UFC with very little MMA experience, winning titles at both 185 and 205 pounds. White admits he was initially skeptical about Pereira’s potential in the UFC, but “Poatan” has been able to prove him wrong.

“It’s incredible, right? No, I don’t think like that, especially when you have a guy that’s coming in from kickboxing,” White told reporters at the UFC 303 post-fight press conference. “You know? Has this long kickboxing career and is older coming into the UFC. I think the exact opposite. This guy’s not going to do very well here. He’s going to get taken down, smashed, submitted, you know, all that kind of stuff. But, man, was I wrong.”

White heaped praise on Pereira’s performance against Prochazka. Pereira knocked down Prochazka with his signature left hook in the last second of Round 1, but Prochazka was able to stumble back to his stool. However, just 18 seconds into Round 2, Pereira floored Prochazka with a head kick.

“He looked incredible,” White said of Pereira. “Fight started just like the last fight, chopping that calf kick, busting his leg up and then, ‘Oh, he got saved by the bell.’ No, he didn’t. It was incredible. That guy is a monster, absolute monster.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

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Jiri Prochazka UFC 303 press conference

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Alex Pereira UFC 303 press conference

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Jiri Prochazka UFC 303 press conference

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Alex Pereira UFC 303 press conference

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Jiri Prochazka UFC 303 press conference

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Alex Pereira UFC 303 press conference

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Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka press conference faceoff UFC 303

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Alex Pereira UFC 303 press conference

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Jiri Prochazka - UFC 303 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Alex Pereira - UFC 303 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka

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Jiri Prochazka and Joe Rogan - UFC 303 ceremonial weigh-ins

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Alex Pereira and Joe Rogan - UFC 303 ceremonial weigh-ins

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) prepares to fight Alex Pereira…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) prepares to fight Alex Pereira (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) prepares to fight Jiri Prochazka…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) prepares to fight Jiri Prochazka (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves)…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves)…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves)…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 5 (Per)

Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 2 (Per)

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves)…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves)…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 1 (UFC)

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) is helped after losing to…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) is helped after losing to Alex Pereira (not pictured) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 3 (Per)

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) is helped after losing to…

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka…

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 4 (Per)

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka…

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MMA: UFC 303 - Pereira vs Prochazka

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Alex…

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jiri Prochazka (blue gloves) reacts after losing to Alex Pereira (red gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Alex Pereira def. Jiri Prochazka, UFC 303 Scorecard

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Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie

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