Alex Pereira says a fight with Josh Hokit, now set to challenge Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title, would have been a far simpler path back than the one he actually got. The Brazilian opened up about his frustration with the UFC’s matchmaking after his loss to Gane cost him a quick run back to the top of the division.
A Loss to Gane That Reshuffled the Division
Pereira lost the interim heavyweight title on June 14, 2026, at UFC Freedom 250, stopped by Ciryl Gane via second round TKO in his heavyweight debut, after years campaigning at light heavyweight, where he once held the belt. Months later, Tom Aspinall vacated the undisputed heavyweight title, opening the door for the division to sort itself out. Pereira says the UFC floated two options for him: an immediate rematch with Gane, or a fight with Josh Hokit, the promotion’s No. 6 ranked heavyweight. Neither happened. Instead, Pereira is booked against Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich.
Hokit Over Pavlovich, By His Own Admission
Pereira didn’t hide what he would have preferred. “If I were coming back off a loss, fighting Hokit would definitely be a much easier fight,” he said. “Instead, I’m going to fight the Russian, Pavlovich, which is a much harder fight.” He added that after a loss, taking the easier matchup against Hokit would have made more sense on paper. The feud between the two heavyweights has only grown louder since the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, with both men trading shots in the months since.
Hokit Has Been Needling Pereira for Months
Hokit has been going after Pereira on social media well before this week. After Pereira’s loss to Gane, he called an immediate rematch absurd, writing on X that Pereira should win a fight in the weight class before getting another title shot, and suggesting Pavlovich as a more fitting opponent, a pure striker he called less athletic than Gane. In mid-October, Hokit escalated again, labeling Pereira “spoiled” and listing grievances: the highest paid fighter on the roster not named Conor McGregor, someone who has never faced a real wrestler, and a fighter who got a title shot in a weight class he had never competed in before.
Daniel Cormier and the Interim Belt Argument
Pereira also brought up a conversation with UFC analyst and former champion Daniel Cormier during Freedom 250 fight week, in which Cormier reportedly told him an interim title win would not make him the real champion. Pereira argues that’s a double standard now that Cormier backs Hokit as a legitimate champion if he beats Gane. “If I win the interim belt, am I considered the real champion?” he asked. He said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter Campbell has since resolved his frustration, and that he is fully focused on Pavlovich.
An Unbeaten Challenger Trying to Force His Way to the Top
Gane won the interim heavyweight title for the second time in his career by beating Pereira, after a similar run years earlier. The Frenchman, known among UFC heavyweights for his mobility and boxing, now defends that belt against an unbeaten challenger rather than a rematch with the man he just beat. Hokit has built his reputation on a perfect record and a willingness to call out the division’s biggest names to speed up his own climb, a strategy that has now landed him a title shot against Gane.
Two Heavyweight Dates Now on the Calendar
Ciryl Gane (14-2) defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit (10-0) on November 14, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, headlining UFC 334. Alex Pereira (13-4) meets Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) in the UFC 335 co-main event on December 12, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pereira still rates Pavlovich as the more dangerous name on paper but calls the matchup technically a good fight for him. Depending on how both bouts play out, a Hokit-Pereira matchup remains very much alive for next year, according to multiple US outlets.
Pereira has not fought since the loss to Gane and says he is no longer dwelling on the matchmaking decisions that came before it, framing the Pavlovich fight as the real test it is being billed as rather than a step down.
