Pereira to Miss UFC White House Card in 2026

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira announced on Monday that he will not compete on the promotion's highly anticipated card at the White House in June 2026, dashing hopes for a potential superfight with Jon Jones.

In an Instagram post featuring a photo of himself with UFC CEO Dana White, Pereira wrote, "Looks like the White House is a NO GO!!!" The event, planned for the nation's capital to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, has been billed as one of the biggest in mixed martial arts history. No fights have been officially announced yet, but Pereira's exclusion leaves a significant gap in the lineup.

Pereira, a Brazilian striker known as Poatan, reclaimed the 205-pound title with a first-round knockout of Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 320 earlier this year. That victory avenged his only light heavyweight loss and marked his second stint as champion. Since then, Pereira has openly pursued a move to heavyweight to challenge Jones, the former two-division titleholder, specifically targeting the White House as the venue. Both fighters had expressed interest in the matchup, with Jones even offering to yield the main event spot to make it happen.