Chael Sonnen takes aim at Alex Pereira over his apparent reluctance to fight Josh Hokit

Alex Pereira is eyeing a rematch with UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and has shown little to no interest in facing heavyweight star Josh Hokit. 

Hokit has been taking aim at Pereira and called for a matchup against the Brazilian, but it feels the former light heavyweight champion has zero interest in the fight now. This led UFC analyst Chael Sonnen to take a dig at ‘Poatan'. Sonnen believes the 39-year-old could be holding up the heavyweight division by refusing to entertain a fight with Hokit.

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira for ignoring Josh Hokit 

Pereira faced Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in his heavyweight debut for an interim title fight, but fell short and lost via knockout in the second round. losing a chance to become the first fighter to hold belts in three UFC divisions. 

Pereira is fixated on avenging his loss to Gane and claims that illegal shots during the finish sequence played a major role in his loss at White House. If given another title opportunity against Gane, he feels he could capture the belt.  

Meanwhile, Hokit, who was in the lead-up to the White House card, has been constantly taking aim at Pereira and has said he wants to face him after the event. 

While Hokit faced Derrick Lewis and delivered an amazing knockout to secure the victory, Pereira suffered a brutal defeat at the hands of Gane, and many expected to see the American and the Brazilian to settle their difference inside the octagon. 

However, Pereira appears to have little interest in the matchup, and Sonnen believes that could be a problem for the division. In his recent YouTube video, the UFC analyst questioned why ‘Poatan’is not responding to Hokit and pointed out that the matchup makes sense given their positions in the heavyweight rankings.

“Hey, Alex, why aren't you responding to Josh? This isn't some tailbiter here. This is the No. 4-ranked guy in the division, the division that you're the No. 3-ranked guy in. That fight makes a pretty good level of sense," Sonnen said.

Sonnen acknowledged that Pereira wants another opportunity at a UFC championship, but argued that the current heavyweight title situation could prevent him from getting that opportunity immediately.

“He doesn't have a belt. It's clear that you would like to fight for a belt. But the two guys with the belts, they're going to go find each other before you get in the mix. Why aren't you going to Hok now?,” Sonnen added. 

Check out Chael Sonnen’s comments below:

A few weeks after his loss at the UFC Freedom 250, Pereira and his team had shown interest in a Hokit matchup, and speculation was going on that the fight could be made. Things changed recently when Gane shared that he is interested in giving the Brazilian a rematch, as a unification bout against Tom Aspinall is uncertain. 

Alex Pereira waits for clarity as UFC heavyweight title picture remains uncertain

The heavyweight division has been on hold as the champion, Tom Aspinall, has lingering eye issues from the injury he sustained in his bout against Gane at UFC 321, which was declared a no-contest. Since the Brit is out of action, it's unclear when he will return to unify the belt against the Frenchman. 

Over the next few weeks or months, the heavyweight title picture should become clearer. The UFC could strip Aspinall of the title and elevate Gane from interim champion to undisputed champion, or allow the Frenchman to defend his interim belt against Pereira, Hokit, or another top contender.