Dana White admits he was completely wrong with his initial assessment of Alex Pereira: “Man was I wrong”

UFC president Dana White has admitted that he was completely wrong with his initial assessment of Alex Pereira.

Last night, Alex Pereira grew his legend even further. Just a few months on from his decisive victory at UFC 300, the man known as ‘Poatan’ knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. As a result, he successfully retained the UFC light heavyweight championship for the second time. Since that switch kick landed, the masses have been heaping praise onto the Brazilian’s shoulders – and rightfully so.

RELATED: Magomed Ankalaev reacts to Alex Pereira’s stoppage victory over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303: “I believe I will knock you out”

That includes Dana White. The boss has seen Pereira’s evolution over the course of the last three years and, like many of us, he’s pretty surprised by what he’s witnessed.

During the post-UFC 303 media scrum, White was asked whether he knew what he was getting with Alex when he first signed him.

Dana White admits he thought Alex Pereira was "not going to do very well" in the UFC before his debut.

"[I thought] he’s going to get taken down, smashed, submitted. All that kind of stuff. Man was I wrong.” pic.twitter.com/xvRWjdqivs

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 30, 2024

White admits he was wrong about Pereira

“It’s incredible, right? No, I don’t think like that, especially when you’ve got a guy that’s coming in from kickboxing. You know? He has this long kickboxing career, and is older coming into the UFC. I think the exact opposite. This guy’s not gonna do very well here. He’s gonna get taken down, smashed, submitted, you know, all that kind of stuff. But, man was I wrong.”

Nobody could’ve realistically pictured Alex Pereira doing what he’s done thus far. The scariest part, though, is that he could still have many years of activity left ahead of him.

What did you first make of Alex Pereira when he signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship? How far off are we from him being featured in the greatest of all time conversation? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!