Alex White considered joining James Krause's gym before UFC Fight Night 124 booking

ST. LOUIS – The timing of Alex White’s matchup with James Krause at UFC Fight Night 124 was rather bizarre. Just when White thought about strengthening a friendship, he was forced to turn Krause into a foe.

White (12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who meets Krause (24-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a lightweight bout on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 124, recently spent time searching for a gym where he could train full time. Krause’s academy, Glory MMA & Fitness in Kansas City, Mo., was one of his top candidates.

Shortly thereafter, White’s next UFC fight offer came through the pipeline. And of course, Krause was the opponent presented.

“I was talking to my coach and my boss about taking time off of work to train full time, and one of the gyms I was going to go to was James Krause’s,” White told MMAjunkie. “I know him, Tim Elliott and all that. Then the next day they offered me James Krause, and it’s in St. Louis, so I couldn’t really turn it down. If UFC says something (I say), ‘OK.'”

UFC Fight Night 124 takes place at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. White vs. Krause airs on the FS1-televised portion of the card following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

White’s goal is to eventually be able to commit 100 percent of his energy toward fighting and walk away from his day job entirely. He currently works in the medical equipment field, and called himself a “modern-day Batman” because “I save lives during the day, beat them up at night.”

Although White enjoys his day job, he wants the chance to be his best self by training year round. He believes he’s catching a perfect wave of momentum at the moment, especially after moving up to 155 pounds from his longtime home at featherweight.

“Cutting down to 145 I was training and cutting weight at the same time, so it was really stressful on my body and I would be getting injured a lot,” White said. “But making this cut to 155 I actually have time to train, and then cut weight.”

White is coming off a second-round TKO of Mitch Clarke at UFC 215 in September. It was his first stoppage in more than three years, and he wants to put on a similar performance against Krause, and he believes the matchup is complimentary towards him.

“He’s a well-rounded fighter,” White said. “I can’t take him easy at all in any position. He’s tall and lengthy, but I think I can honestly use that to my advantage. I need to just keep pressure on him.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 124, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.