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Dana White Drops Cold Truth On Alex Pereira After Giving Josh Hokit Title Shot At UFC 334: ‘Deserves To Be There’

ByPranav PandeyMixed Martial Arts Journalist

Dana White has explained why the UFC opted to book Josh Hokit against Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title instead of giving Alex Pereira an immediate rematch.

Gane was elevated to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt, setting up his first title defense against undefeated Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Dana White Explains Why Josh Hokit Got The Title Shot

“Poatan” had pushed for another opportunity after his controversial loss to Gane at UFC White House, but White dismissed the idea that star power should determine who gets title opportunities.

We make fights based on star power…? We make fights based on who’s the best in the world, who deserves to be there,” White told reporters ahead of UFC 332. “And he’s coming off a loss right now against Ciryl Gane. This is the fight to make.

The UFC CEO also questioned whether there was enough demand for an immediate rematch, pointing to the way their first fight ended.

If I do the rematch, we all just saw the fight, and it wasn’t like, ‘Holy s***, that was a knockout,’ and the fans are demanding a rematch.

Hokit enters the title fight with a perfect 10-0 record and four UFC victories, including wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. His rapid rise has now culminated in a heavyweight title opportunity against Gane.

Pereira, meanwhile, is expected to learn more about his next opponent soon, with Sergei Pavlovich reportedly emerging as a potential matchup.