Alex Pereira Calls Josh Hokit a “Much Easier Fight” Than Sergei Pavlovich

After Israel Adesanya, the only heated rivalry Alex Pereira had was with Magomed Ankalaev. The Russian kept calling out Pereira over his past as a tire shop worker and dismissed his fighting. ‘Poatan’ got the last word, winning the title back from him in style in the rematch.

Now the Brazilian superstar is in what may be the most personal rivalry of his career. After the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, Pereira simply can't stand Josh Hokit. And while talking about his next fight, he took another shot at the former NFL star.

Alex Pereira Drops Blunt Verdict on Josh Hokit as Potential Opponent

At UFC Freedom 250, Pereira lost the belt to Ciryl Gane, and Hokit is now the one set to challenge Gane for it. Pereira, meanwhile, is booked to fight Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335. Ahead of that fight, Pereira took another jab at Hokit. Coming off a loss, he said, facing Hokit would be a much easier night, and taking the easier fight would have made more sense for him. Instead, he is going in against Pavlovich, a far harder test.

In his words, “If I were coming back off a loss, fighting would definitely be a much easier fight. Instead, I'm going to fight the Russian, Pavlovich, which is a much harder fight. Coming off a loss, it made more sense for me to take the easier fight, which would be against Hokit.”

Additionally, Pereira was upset because he had been told he could get another title shot or fight Hokit. After coming off a loss, he felt Hokit would have been an easier fight than Pavlovich.

Since the press conference, both Pereira and Hokit have been taking shots at each other. If they both win their respective fights, they could face each other next and settle their differences inside the cage.

Alex Pereira Accuses Daniel Cormier of Double Standards Over Interim UFC Heavyweight Title

During fight week, Pereira asked Cormier a simple question: if he won the interim belt, would that make him the real champion? Cormier told him no. Now he feels that stance has changed. DC has been talking up Hokit, saying that if he beats Gane, he becomes the champion. For Pereira, that doesn't add up. The standard applied to him, he believes, isn't the one being applied to Hokit.

In his words, “I saw Daniel Cormier on fight week, I said ‘if I win the interim belt, am I considered the real champion?’ — he said ‘no, maybe in 1-2 months’, he expressed his word, but then he goes and starts propping up Hokit saying ‘if he beats Gane, he’s the champion, blah blah blah.”

Indeed, it will be interesting to see how DC responds to this, especially since the two share a good relationship.