Alex Pereira was one of the star guests at Power Slap’s inaugural show in Belgrade, Serbia, on July 30, a day before the UFC held its own first event in the same arena. He joined Dana White and influencer Nina Drama, who livestreamed the event from cageside. Everything was going according to plan until the UFC CEO had the chaotic idea of recreating the viral Mike Tyson meme by confronting Pereira, an idea he eventually admitted was a bad idea.

During the livestream with Nina, White remarked how ‘Poatan’ had taken up his designated front-row seat to watch the event. After Pereira took his seat without permission, the 57-year-old jokingly said to Nina that he might go over and slap the former two-division champion.

“Look at this guy, he stole my seat when I got up,” White said. “Should I go over there and slap him?”

“Who? Alex Pereira?” Nina asked in surprise.

“That’s probably a bad idea,” Dana White added. “I’ll just sit over here.”

Though the UFC boss made the statement jokingly, the realization of confronting one of the scariest fighters in the sport hit him quickly. So, White wisely thought twice before pulling that move, even if it was only for laughs and giggles. However, it’s also hard to deny that Pereira would have understood it was a prank, considering he regularly does funny skits on social media himself, especially with his coach Plinio Cruz. 

Still, if Dana White had dared to approach Alex Pereira and ordered him to get out of his seat, he could have recreated the iconic meme Mike Tyson pulled off with the UFC CEO twelve years ago.

In the viral prank video made in 2014, Dana White could be seen sitting inside a private airplane when Mike Tyson comes over and taps him on the shoulder, signaling him to move. The legendary boxer then sits down on the seat as a scared Dana White slowly gets up and moves to another seat in the plane.

Dana White re-uploaded the video about four years ago to tell people about an important lesson he learned on how to deal with scary fighters.

“Hey dummies, for future reference, this is how you stay alive when bumping into @MikeTyson on an airplane,” White wrote in the caption.

And why did he re-upload the video clip four years ago? Well…

In April 2022, the former boxing heavyweight champion was embroiled in controversy after a passenger reportedly tried to harass Tyson on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Florida. Tyson, after putting up with it for a while, eventually lost his cool and reportedly punched the passenger multiple times in the face. Dana White found the person’s decision to annoy Tyson incredibly ridiculous, so he decided to send a message by resharing the 2014 clip once again.

Well, if the UFC head honcho had actually tried to order Alex Pereira to get up from his seat at the Power Slap event, it could have gone terribly. However, none of that happened since the UFC boss rightfully decided not to disturb Pereira.

While the jokes continue, it seems White isn’t only thinking about pulling pranks on Pereira. He and the UFC matchmakers are reportedly also considering his return to the Octagon, potentially in a grudge match.

Alex Pereira vs Josh Hokit is reportedly in the works

After Alex Pereira lost his bid to become a three-division champion against Ciryl Gane at UFC White House, it was a little hard to contemplate what his next move would be. A return to light heavyweight remained a viable option, especially with his eternal rival Israel Adesanya’s former City Kickboxing teammate, Carlos Ulberg, becoming the new champion of his left-behind division. However, it seems the UFC wants to explore ‘Poatan’s’ heavyweight potential a little further by pitting him against Josh Hokit. At least, that’s what Ariel Helwani reported.  

“What I can tell you after digging around a little bit is that is definitely something that is being discussed,” Ariel Helwani recently said on his show. “Done? No. Signed? No. Sealed? No. Delivered? No. But it is definitely out there. It is definitely a thought, and definitely a direction being explored.

“So let’s see. That would be wild. Who would have thought at the beginning of this year, Josh Hokit vs Alex Pereira, if it comes to fruition? It is definitely a thing. Definitely a thing that is being discussed and explored at the moment.”

Well, the Canadian journalist also had Pereira’s longtime teammate and former UFC light heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira, on his show, where he hinted that ‘Poatan’ is interested in fighting Hokit. Subsequently, the undefeated heavyweight also accepted the fight with a pretty intriguing condition. Still, the UFC’s interest in turning their bad blood into an actual matchup remains to be seen.

Alex Pereira has already made it clear that he wants to fight again this year. In that case, the promotion might look to schedule him against Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden, where the UFC traditionally hosts a major event in November. That said, it will be interesting to see what shape the Brazilian’s next move ultimately takes.