Josh Hokit Says Ilia Topuria And Alex Pereira Don’t Deserve A Title Shot

At UFC Freedom 250, there were two major upsets that fans did not expect, coming in the co-main and main events. Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane took the titles from champions Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira. Both were heavy favorites going into their fights, and fans did not expect them to lose their titles.

Meanwhile, as they are now calling for title shots and rematches, Josh Hokit has come out and openly dismissed both of them, saying they are now far away from a title shot and sharing his thoughts.

Josh Hokit Claims Ilia Topuria & Alex Pereira Must Earn Their Way Back to a Title Shot

On social media, Hokit said neither Topuria nor Pereira should get a title shot in their next fight. He feels both were clearly beaten in their last fights and should have to earn their way back. He wants them to fight their way up again, just like every other fighter has to do.

“Growing up, I loved the @ufc & all of its fighters. So it gives me great pleasure to use my platform today to speak the truth: neither Ilia Topuria nor Alex Pereira deserve a fucking title shot in their next fight. They both got handily destroyed . Make them earn it and fight their way back like everyone else,” Hokit wrote on X.

There is no doubt that Topuria lost the fight in a way no one could have imagined, and he quit the fight on the stool, which makes it even worse. Meanwhile, Pereira lost via knockout in a manner that made it look like he was never ready for the heavyweight fight. It would be really unfair if they got a title shot ahead of contenders like Arman Tsarukyan and others who have already been waiting in line for a long time.

Will Alex Pereira & Ilia Topuria Get A Title Shot?

Talking about the return, Pereira feels he deserves a rematch with Ciryl Gane. He says the rematch is the only thing that makes the most sense for him right now. In his words, “I think the fight that makes sense is Ciryl Gane. That's the fight, I'm gonna work on that. And from what I'm seeing, it's something that's going to happen.”

Meanwhile, speaking about the rematch, UFC commentator Jon Anik said, “I think there are internal conversations to potentially try to do Gaethje vs. Topuria 2. A rematch would be absolutely enormous, and I guess predictively, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Both fighters lost badly, so it will be interesting to see if they still get the fights they want. However, both are big names and top fighters who have already proved themselves. So, getting a rematch could be easier for them.