Why Dana White "can live with" Alex Pereira potentially outranking Jon Jones on P4P list but not Islam Makhachev
Dana White recently shared his thoughts on the UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings and outlined why he could tolerate Alex Pereira being ranked higher than Jon Jones on the list. Pereira currently occupies the No.2 spot on the official P4P list, below Islam Makhachev, and above the No.3-ranked Jones.
It's no secret that White is a massive admirer of Jones and misses no opportunity to praise the reigning UFC heavyweight champion's resume and legacy. The UFC CEO has also been vocal about not agreeing with the system that placed Makhachev above Jones on the P4P list and has even pledged to bring some significant changes to how fighters are ranked.
Nevertheless, given the Brazilian's incredible performances this year, White recently claimed that he could approve of Pereira being ranked above Jones on the P4P list. 'Poatan' is on an impressive five-fight win streak, with four of those wins coming via knockout. He's also notably fought three times this year.
In a recent press conference, White was asked what Makhachev would have to do to overtake Jones in the UFC CEO's ideal P4P list. He replied:
"What should he do? Just keep doing what he's doing... He hasn't done as long as Jon Jones has and he hasn't done it as consistently as Alex Pereira has. If you guys argued with me and said, 'We think you're wrong, we think Alex Pereira's No.1 and Jones is No.2, I could live with that... I love Islam. He's a great kid."
White continued:
"If you look at Pereira, he moved from middleweight to light heavyweight and has been absolutely dominant in a weight division higher."
Check out a clip of Dana White's presser below:
Israel Adesanya advises Alex Pereira to "just chill" before taking next fight
As mentioned, Alex Pereira has been incredibly active this year. The Brazilian has fought three times and has won all three fights via knockout. Given his level of activity, Adesanya recently urged his longtime combat sports rival to take a break and recoup his health before accepting another fight.
In a recent YouTube video, Adesanya broke down this weekend's UFC 308 card and pointed out that Magomed Ankalaev could be Pereira's next challenge if he beats Aleksandr Rakic. However, he urged Pereira to "chill" this year and said:
"If [Ankalaev] beats [Rakic], yeah, who else is there for Alex to fight? He should fight Alex next. But Alex should just chill. Advice, he doesn't need it but he should just chill. He's just been going and going, and right now, 'cause he's the most active fighter right now, the most active champ right now. So he should just relax and probably fight early next year."
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (5:08):