Ever since Alex Pereira‘s failed bid to become a three-division champion at the UFC White House event in June ended in controversy, he has remained determined to secure a rematch against Ciryl Gane. However, it appears Pereira’s chances of receiving an immediate rematch are not part of the UFC’s current plans. 

During a recent Q&A session with Jon Anik, ‘Poatan’ clarified that he does not know whether a second fight with ‘Bon Gamin’ will happen anytime soon. If that is the case, Pereira admitted he may need to compete one more time at heavyweight before earning another title shot.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, or how long it will take for that fight to happen,” Pereira confessed. “I definitely want to fight before then, and after that, I definitely want to fight for the title.”

Though Pereira didn’t express it outright, his words made it clear why the UFC won’t make the immediate matchup with Gane. Indeed, the Brazilian showed frustration and anger toward the Frenchman for landing shots to the back of the head during their UFC White House co-main event matchup. Much of ‘Poatan’s disdain is also directed at referee Herb Dean, who didn’t call out the rabbit punches while officiating the matchup. But the official result remains that Gane is now the two-time interim champion and next in line to face Tom Aspinall.

In fact, the Englishman didn’t waste much time publicly accepting Gane’s rematch callout for September in Paris while reacting to the Freedom 250 event on his YouTube channel. The two also have unfinished business from UFC 321, where the Frenchman’s eye poke on Aspinall turned the bout into a no contest. So, it’s expected that the promotion would definitely look forward to arranging that superfight later this year. 

That’s one reason. Another is Ciryl Gane outclassing Alex Pereira on the feet at UFC White House until the illegal punches dropped him. Honestly, ‘Bon Gamin’ looked considerably faster than the Brazilian legend, and his jab-based approach completely shut down Pereira. In that case, it’s not hard to imagine that the UFC wouldn’t want to see that beating happen all over again before ‘Poatan’ has time to settle into the division, especially after moving up two weight classes.

Once the former two-division champion fully acclimates into the division and picks up a win, the promotion would likely be far more interested in giving him another shot. And fortunately, there’s already a fight available for Alex Pereira to take that next step.  

Josh Hokit open to fighting Alex Pereira despite UFC White House defeat

During the build-up to the UFC White House card, Josh Hokit kept things interesting by initiating confrontations with Alex Pereira. It seemed that interest might fade after ‘Poatan’ lost to Ciryl Gane on June 14. But the Californian remains adamant about facing the former two-division champion, especially with Gane and Aspinall now expected to fight each other.

While discussing Alex Pereira’s unnecessary weight gain ahead of his heavyweight debut, Josh Hokit claimed he’s still open to fighting the 39-year-old despite his latest defeat.

“I think Pereira gained a little too much weight,” Hokit told UFC. “I think he weighed in at 251, that’s not good. You’ve got to be light, something that you’re used to. Maybe he got caught up in the heavyweight mentality, where I’ve got to be big, got to be powerful. No, you’ve got to be still fast, whatever you’re comfortable with… Maybe Ciryl Gane fights Aspinall. I’ll fight Pereira still.”

Many felt Pereira’s added bulk against Gane was unusual, as he looked noticeably slower and less fluid with his movement. Even so, ‘Poatan’ still landed several clean, powerful shots against a natural heavyweight like the Frenchman. As a result, there remains plenty of intrigue surrounding the former champion’s future, with many hoping to see him trim some of the extra weight to regain his trademark speed.

Still, Pereira recently confused everyone by warning Paulo Costa about moving back down to 205 pounds to pursue another title shot. While that remains a possibility, he has made it clear that, for now, his future lies at heavyweight. Since he likely needs one more fight before earning a title opportunity, Josh Hokit could certainly emerge as a stellar opponent.