Alex Pereira Calls Ciryl Gane’s Win Over Josh Hokit a "Robbery": "Gane Didn't Do Anything"
Alex Pereira was in the arena for the UFC 334 fight between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit, and he called it a flat-out 'robbery.'
Alex Pereira wasn't shy about sharing his honest reaction after watching Saturday night’s UFC 334 heavyweight main event cageside at Madison Square Garden.
Despite spending fight week trading insults with challenger Josh Hokit and holding plenty of his own history with heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, the former champ was shocked when all three judges handed Gane a 48-47 unanimous decision. Speaking shortly after the final bell, Pereira flat-out disagreed with the scorecards.
"I thought that was a robbery, man. I thought Hokit won the fight," Pereira said. "Man, Gane didn't do anything. I wanted Ciryl Gane to win, but come on, not like that. Unless I was watching a different fight, man. Really? That's crazy."
Pereira even caught up with Hokit backstage to bury the hatchet, telling the 29-year-old American, "For me, you won."
Fans, Fighters and Commentators Question the Scorecards
Pereira watched the fight between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit live and shared the same opinion as many fans on the internet when the judges awarded a unanimous decision victory to Gane. Hokit definitely won a few rounds, and Gane should have been deducted a point for his eye poke in the opening frame that left Hokit complaining he was seeing triple. Not just the fans, but even the UFC commentators seemed confused with the unanimous decision.
On paper, Gane (15-2, 1 NC) outlanded Hokit (10-1) by a wide margin, connecting on a heavyweight-record 237 of 343 significant strikes compared to Hokit's 146 of 283. Still, Hokit controlled the early pace, scored three takedowns, and landed the heavier shots before fading slightly down the stretch.
Pereira, who lost his heavyweight debut to Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June, a stoppage Pereira also disputed over alleged strikes to the back of the head, clearly isn't letting the champion off easy. With Pereira set to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 next month, a potential rematch with Gane is already brewing with plenty of extra heat.
