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Alex Pereira is not happy. The former UFC two-division champion has accused the organization and commentator Daniel Cormier of manipulating public opinion to justify booking Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit instead of granting him a rematch.
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In a recent interview with Laerte Viana, Pereira claimed the promotion orchestrated a campaign to make fans believe Gane vs. Hokit was the fight to make before it was even announced.
Pereira’s frustration stems from his June loss to Gane at UFC Freedom 250. He was stopped in the second round of their interim heavyweight title fight and has repeatedly claimed Gane landed illegal blows to the back of his head.
Pereira wanted an immediate rematch for the undisputed title after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. Instead, the UFC booked Gane vs. Hokit for UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.
‘It’s All Kind of Manipulated’
Pereira did not hold back when describing how he believes the UFC shaped the narrative around Gane vs. Hokit. He said the promotion told him they conducted a poll that showed fans wanted the matchup.
“At first, the UFC said they did a poll, and that this will be the fight. I said, OK… It’s all kind of manipulated,” Pereira said.
The Brazilian specifically pointed to Cormier and other influencers for talking up the fight before it was officially announced.
“I saw before the announcement that Cormier and other guys were saying that it would be a good fight,” Pereira said. “Hey, go ahead, say that this fight is good so that when we drop it, the public will be okay with it and agree with you.”
Pereira believes this was a deliberate strategy to soften the blow of denying him a rematch.
“I think they did everything there to make people believe that this should be the fight,” he added. The timing of Cormier’s praise for Gane vs. Hokit, coming before the official announcement, is central to Pereira’s accusation.
Cormier Told Pereira Beating Gane Wouldn’t Make Him Champion
Pereira also revealed a conversation he had with Cormier that left him baffled. He asked the former double champion whether defeating Gane would make him the heavyweight champion. According to Pereira, Cormier’s response was dismissive.
“I [asked Cormier] if I defeat Ciryl Gane, am I the champion? He said, ‘I don’t think so,’” Pereira said. “So the guy has opinions that don’t make sense.”
The exchange occurred around the time of UFC Freedom 250, when Pereira was preparing to face Gane for the interim title. Cormier later publicly explained that he told Pereira a win over Gane would not make him the GOAT, but Pereira’s account suggests the conversation went further.
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Cormier acknowledged the awkwardness of the exchange during UFC White House media day.
“Alex just asked me that directly, and he’s big now, so that’s a hard question to answer in front of him when he’s that big,” Cormier said. “I actually told him no. I told him that I don’t think he’d be the greatest just yet.”
The discrepancy between the two accounts centers on whether Cormier was addressing GOAT status or championship status.
Hokit-Gane Is The Right Matchmaking Decision
Pereira lamenting over the fact that he is not getting an immediate title shot makes zero sense given his performance against Gane at UFC Freedom 250.
It would be a different case if he had fought a close fight against Gane, but the fact that Pereira did not have a single positive moment in his heavyweight debut makes his accusations seem more like bitterness than an actual argument as to why he should be gifted a rematch.
UFC CEO Dana White has also pushed back on suggestions that Pereira was bypassed for commercial reasons. Speaking to reporters ahead of UFC 332, White insisted the promotion prioritizes sporting merit over star power.
Dana White explains why Josh Hokit got the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at #UFC334pic.twitter.com/EI5YyMuXe8
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 2, 2026
“We make fights based on who is the best in the world, who deserves to be there,” White said.
White pointed to the fact that Pereira is coming off a loss to Gane as justification for the matchmaking.
“(Pereira is) coming off a loss right now against Ciryl Gane. This is the fight to make,” White said, adding that Pereira remains firmly in the title picture despite the setback.
White also characterized the situation as a timing issue rather than a demotion.
“Sometimes people get in these weird positions where they feel like they’re in no man’s land, but it’s just a timing issue,” White said.
Pereira is now expected to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 in December, with a win potentially earning him the next title shot.
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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 12:14 AM.