UFC left Alex Pereira behind to favor Josh Hokit for a title shot against undisputed champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden. The matchmaking came as a surprise, with many eager to know what propelled the promotion to snub the former two-division champion and provide Hokit the opportunity.

A reporter who evidently wondered the same asked Dana White what motivated the promotion to sideline one of its biggest stars from a rematch against Gane during the UFC 332 backstage media scrum. However, the UFC boss seemed annoyed when he answered the question.

“What’s the question?” White responded after he first heard it.

After the reporter, whose name remains private, repeated the query, the 57-year-old mogul gave an agitated response.

“Is that what we announced? Who do you think should have been the choice?” he added. “You’re asking me the question, though. Where does that question come from? What do you think we should have done?” 

Finally, when the reporter suggested that Pereira’s “star power” could have granted him the rematch. But White made it clear in a stern voice that the matchmakers don’t book fights based on fighters’ popularity alone and insisted that Hokit earned the shot as a deserving contender.

“Because he could have got the rematch because of what? Star power?” Dana said. “We make fights based on star power? We make fights based on who is the best in the world, who deserves to be there. And he’s coming off a loss right now against Ciryl Gane.

“This is the fight to make. If I do the rematch, we all just saw the fight. And it wasn’t like, ‘Holy s—t, that was a knockout,’ and the fans are demanding a rematch.”

It seemed like the reporter had a genuine interest in knowing the details behind the UFC 334 headliner’s matchmaking process. However, Dana White’s cold responses made the interaction more awkward than it needed to be.

Despite the head honcho addressing the reporter in a confrontational tone, one thing is clear: Pereira was not part of the UFC’s plan for an immediate rematch. His second-round TKO loss against the Frenchman at UFC White House turned out to be decisive, even though the finishing sequence was controversial.

On the other hand, Josh Hokit’s current run in the UFC heavyweight division propelled the promotion to anoint him as the next title challenger over ‘Poatan.’ Still, it is not the first time the UFC CEO has become entangled in a heated exchange with a reporter.

Last week, boxing journalist Jack Figg pressed Dana White on the clarity of his role regarding the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua boxing fight set for December 11th in Cardiff. The UFC CEO was livid and went off on the reporter for asking the question. 

The latest exchange showed Dana White has little patience toward media personnel. But coming to the head honcho’s claim that the UFC didn’t rely on Hokit’s star power to book him against Ciryl Gane, there is some room for dispute on the matter.

Josh Hokit’s star power helped him land the heavyweight title shot over Alex Pereira 

Understandably, Alex Pereira did not deserve an immediate rematch based solely on his popularity and the controversy surrounding his last fight. But the UFC ultimately siding with Hokit does have a lot to do with his growing stardom.

Josh Hokit’s bid for the title shot undoubtedly stems from the fact that he beat legitimate contender Curtis Blaydes in a barnburner at UFC 327 in Miami. Let’s be honest, Derrick Lewis being past his prime made the Californian’s victory over him at UFC White House somewhat less remarkable, though he indeed put his ranking on the line. 

However, outside Hokit’s ferocity inside the Octagon, his animated persona in building up fights definitely influenced his chances for a title shot. Because if merit is the parameter, Alexander Volkov equally makes the case for an opportunity at heavyweight gold.

The Russian is currently ranked number two in the Media rankings, just below former champion Tom Aspinall. Plus, he is currently on a two-fight winning streak. If those factors are not enough, Volkov suffered a controversial decision loss in a rematch against Gane at UFC 310. 

After three rounds of action, the judges declared the Frenchman the winner, and the result triggered outrage among the fans. Even Dana White met with Volkov cageside and apologized for the robbery. Since then, the Russian has been searching for his title shot despite having pushed the current undisputed champion to the brink. 

For those reasons, former UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve also stated in a recent interview that Volkov should have been the one to face Gane.

Clearly, Hokit’s character-driven approach prevailed over Volkov, which prompted the UFC to change course. However, this is not the first time the promotion has favored star power over merit.

Three years ago, Colby Covington got the title shot against Leon Edwards after almost two years of inactivity.

‘Chaos’ beat Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision in their grudge match at UFC 272 in March 2022. Without taking any fight in between, Covington directly returned to face the former welterweight champion Edwards for the belt at UFC 296 in December 2023, snubbing the actual contender Belal Muhammad in the process.

So, while Dana White claims that the UFC hands out title shots only to the deserving, it is definitely something that has been contradicted many times, and that remains true for Hokit as well.