The Scariest Fighter In UFC?

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has seen some pretty scary fighters over the course of his 20-plus years running the world’s preeminent mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion … but who is the scariest?

First name that popped into his mind was heavyweight bruiser Derrick Lewis.

“Always when you’re f*cking around with heavyweights, like Derrick Lewis,” White told Paddy Pimblett’s Chattin Pony podcast (transcribed by MMA News). “When Derrick Lewis comes to a staredown, the only thing that makes him even a little bit not scary is that he actually has a sense of humor. He’s funny sometimes. But god forbid you get in there with Derrick Lewis and he doesn’t like the other fighter. I was in between him and another guy one time at the face off, and I started trying to stop him. I might as well not f*cking be there.”

White may be talking about this Derrick Lewis staredown that nearly got him trampled.

“Jon Jones is one of those guys too,” White continued. “Jon Jones is a freak of nature. One of the scariest guys and intimidating dudes right now is [Alex] Pereira. When you look at the guy he looks like a stone-cold fucking killer. Off the top of my head, those are the three that come to mind.”

Pereira may be terrifying, but even a brute like “Poatan” has a boogeyman.

Lewis (26-10, 1 NC) was forced to withdraw from his UFC Vegas 65 showdown due to a stomach issue and has not yet booked his Octagon return. Jones (26-1, 1 NC) is expected to make his heavyweight debut in early 2023 after sitting on the sidelines for the past few years. As for Pereira (7-1), he’ll likely make his first middleweight title defense in a rematch against Israel Adesanya at some point over the next few months.