Viral Video Captures Alex Pereira, Joshua Van Reacting in Disbelief to Ciryl Gane's UFC 334 Win Over Josh Hokit

Just two days before UFC 334, Josh Hokit stood on the press conference stage in New York and flipped off Alex Pereira in the front row. The previously undefeated heavyweight had spent weeks targeting the former two-division champion with personal trash talk, fueling one of the loudest rivalries in the division.

But on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Pereira put all of that bad blood aside after Hokit pushed Ciryl Gane to the limit in a five-round war. His viral reaction alongside Joshua Van after Hokit's name was not announced as the winner has raised major eyebrows about the main event result.

Cameras Catch Stunned Cageside Reactions of Alex Pereira and Joshua Van After Josh Hokit's Loss

All three judges scored the five-round title fight 48-47 for Gane, who outlanded Hokit 237-146 in significant strikes to set a new UFC heavyweight record. Still, Hokit pushed the Frenchman against the cage and punished him with elbows and foot stomps, leaving plenty of room for debate over the scorecards.

"Poatan" shook his head and turned to coach Plinio Cruz when the winner was announced. Flyweight champion Joshua Van put both hands over his head in shock, and footage of the pair went viral on X within minutes. The crowd also booed loudly in that moment. 

Addressing Hokit's performance and the result, Pereira did not hold back, saying, "I thought it was a robbery, man. I thought Hokit won the fight."

He also has bad blood with the champion. Gane knocked him out in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn in June to win the interim belt, though it was not a clean finish.

Pereira (13-4) claimed Gane hit him with illegal shots to the back of the head, and UFC footage caught his coach yelling "back of the head" at referee Herb Dean during the sequence. A Yahoo Sports report counted up to 11 illegal strikes that the Frenchman landed on the Brazilian during that fight.

That controversial loss crushed Pereira's dream of becoming the UFC's first three-division champion. Pereira and his team pushed for an immediate rematch, but the promotion gave the title shot to the American instead. Pereira accused the promotion of using commentators like Daniel Cormier to hype Hokit for the bout, which ignited a heated feud between the two fighters.

That feud now appears to be over. Pereira met Hokit backstage after the decision, shook his hand and told him, "For me, you won.” "The Incredible Hok” returned the respect by wishing Pereira luck in his UFC 335 co-main event against Sergei Pavlovich on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas.

While the scorecards divided the MMA community, everyone agreed on the entertainment value. UFC CEO Dana White called the main event "incredible" at the post-fight press conference, and the promotion awarded both Gane and Hokit a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus.