Alex Pereira doesn’t seem to believe he’s going to get a coveted spot on the upcoming UFC White House card in June.
While UFC CEO Dana White has repeatedly stated that matchmaking for the historic event won’t happen until at least February, the reigning light heavyweight champion is seemingly convinced he’s not fighting there. On Monday, Pereira dropped a message on Instagram alongside a photo with White that casts doubt on his inclusion for the event currently scheduled on June 14 from the front
lawn of the White House.
“Looks like the White House is a NO GO!!!” Pereira wrote with no further explanation.
Pereira has been pushing for a showdown against Jon Jones at the UFC White House card, which is being coordinated as part of President Donald Trump’s plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
Jones, who briefly retired after passing on a fight against Tom Aspinall, announced his plans to fight again with hopes that he would lands a spot on the White House card. He’s continued to talk about his interest in fighting Pereira at the White House, although his requests have largely fallen on deaf ears.
While UFC matchmakers aren’t expected to start booking the card any time soon, White has stated that he doesn’t have a lot of trust in booking Jones for such an important event, especially given his past history with issues inside and outside the cage that have prevented him from competing.
As for Pereira, his exclusion could point towards a potential title fight being booked prior to the UFC White House card in June. The Brazilian reclaimed the 205-pound title with a blistering finish over Magomed Ankalaev in October after falling to the Russian seven months earlier.
Rumors swirled for weeks that Pereira could possibly get booked against Carlos Ulberg sometime in early 2026 after the New Zealand born contender picked up his ninth consecutive win in a row with names like Dominick Reyes, Jan Blachowicz and Volkan Oezdemir on his resume.
That fight being booked could explain why Pereira doesn’t believe he’s going to be competing at the White House in 2026.
