TLDR
- Daniel Cormier denied Alex Pereira‘s claim that the UFC told him to promote the Gane vs. Hokit title fight
- Cormier showed video evidence disputing Pereira’s version of their pre-fight conversation about GOAT status
- Cormier said he told Pereira he wouldn’t be the GOAT yet, not that he wouldn’t be champion if he beat Gane
- Cormier explained Josh Hokit earned his title shot with two top-10 wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis
- Pereira will fight Sergei Pavlovich on Dec. 12, with Cormier saying a win would earn him a title shot
Sources: sherdog.com | mmafighting.com
Daniel Cormier says a disagreement with Alex Pereira won’t damage their friendship, despite the former two-division champion accusing him of promoting fights at the UFC’s direction.
Pereira made the accusations this week after Josh Hokit earned a heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden. Pereira wanted an immediate rematch with Gane after losing to him at UFC White House in June.
🚨 Alex Pereira thinks that Daniel Cormier and the UFC teamed up and pushed an agenda to the public to make Ciryl Gane vs Josh Hokit happen:
“At first, the UFC said they did a poll, and that this will be the fight. I said OK.”
“It’s all kind of manipulated. I saw before the… pic.twitter.com/HoBgPKOMc8
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) October 12, 2026
“Alex Pereira and I have built a relationship over the past five years,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel Tuesday. “I believe that it’s a great relationship and I believe that it’s a friendship.”
Cormier denied that the UFC instructed him to promote the Gane vs. Hokit matchup before it was announced. “I was not told by the UFC to promote this as the fight to happen,” he said.
Cormier Disputes GOAT Conversation
Pereira also claimed Cormier told him he wouldn’t be the heavyweight champion even if he beat Gane. Cormier said that account is wrong.
He showed video evidence from an interview before UFC White House. In the clip, Pereira asked through his translator Plinio Cruz whether beating Gane would make him the greatest of all time.
“I didn’t say he wouldn’t be the champ; I said he wouldn’t be the GOAT yet,” Cormier explained. “I showered Pereira with compliments.”
Cormier said the confusion likely stems from a language barrier. He emphasized that he told Pereira a win over Gane would put him in the GOAT conversation with fighters like Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson.
“I just have to chalk this quote up to a miscommunication and a language barrier,” Cormier said.
Why Hokit Got the Title Shot
Cormier explained why he believes Hokit deserves the title shot over Pereira. The undefeated fighter has won all 10 of his professional fights.
Hokit beat Curtis Blaydes, the No. 5-ranked heavyweight, in what Cormier called “one of the best heavyweight fights we’ve ever seen.” He then defeated Derrick Lewis, a two-time title challenger ranked in the top 10.
“He’s got two top 10 wins, in a division that doesn’t have that much depth,” Cormier said.
Cormier questioned what Pereira’s rematch claim is based on. “If I would have lost when I went up to fight Stipe the first time, I don’t imagine that I could have asked for an immediate rematch,” he said.
Pereira has suggested the fight ended with illegal strikes to the back of his head. Cormier said that might be the only valid argument for a rematch.
“If he’s building his case on, ‘I deserve this rematch based on him finishing me in Round 2 with illegal strikes,’ maybe,” Cormier said. “But outside of that one thing, there really isn’t much to warrant him getting an immediate title fight.”
Pereira will fight Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier said a win in that fight would earn Pereira a shot at the winner of Gane vs. Hokit.
“Now, Pereira goes and wins his fight, I would definitely say he deserves to fight the winner,” Cormier said. “I think he’s a good guy; I think he’s a tremendous fighter.”
