Lately, Alex Pereira has found himself on the receiving end of criticism for his repeated callouts of Ciryl Gane. Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping called ‘Poatan’ a “sore loser” for recently calling out the Frenchman for a rematch that ‘The Count’ believes he doesn’t deserve. Even so, Pereira has remained adamant in his efforts to secure another shot at Gane and avenge his UFC White House defeat, but Josh Hokit gave him a reality check.

In a recent interview with Paramount+, Pereira eyed a rematch against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334, which is set for Madison Square Garden on November 14. The Brazilian feels it’s the only fight he would “choose” despite his monumental knockout loss on June 14. However, the Californian wanted none of Pereira’s demands for a rematch, as he once again scorched ‘Poatan’ with a post on X.

“Well, it’s not up to you, so I’ll either see Ciryl Gane or you in November,” Hokit responded to Pereira by reposting his interview.

Josh Hokit’s disdain towards Alex Pereira facing Ciryl Gane one more time is definitely understandable here. Ever since the Brazilian lost his heavyweight debut, the 28-year-old has made it clear that Pereira needs to prove himself in the heavyweight division before demanding another shot at the gold.

The California-based fighter’s take was pretty similar to what Michael Bisping said about Pereira. In fact, Hokit publicly backed Bisping over his criticism of the former two-division champ. In doing so, Hokit said ‘Poatan’ needs to face heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich to make his way to title contention, while he challenges Gane for the title.

Hokit firmly believes he deserves to fight for the title more than Pereira after beating two top contenders, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, consecutively. Still, ‘Poatan’ is yet to secure his first win at heavyweight. Yet, the No. 6-ranked heavyweight remains open to facing Pereira because of the brewing animosity between them.

Before eyeing a rematch against Ciryl Gane at MSG, Pereira told Brazilian outlet AG Fight in July that he would return in November. Considering the grandeur of the event, the UFC would also want his comeback to happen at the iconic venue. However, his next opponent remains a mystery for now.

Meanwhile, the future UFC Hall of Famer’s star training partner disclosed which matchup is actually enticing them.

Glover Teixeira reveals which fight makes sense for Alex Pereira’s comeback

Despite Alex Pereira’s relentless push to secure a rematch against Ciryl Gane, his training partner and coach, Glover Teixeira, feels a fight against Josh Hokit makes sense. The former light heavyweight champion simply cites the brewing personal rivalry between the two as a reason for the matchup, and he believes Pereira would kick Hokit’s “a—s” if they ever meet inside the Octagon.

“I think Josh Hokit is definitely an easier fight? And the guy’s running his mouth, and it’s a good fight for Alex to go over there and knock his a—s out and get back to the title fight. But either fight, I know he’s going to come back stronger,” Teixeira told MMA Junkie.

Pereira’s demand to fight Ciryl Gane definitely stems from their UFC Freedom 250 fight’s controversial ending, where referee Herb Dean didn’t call out ‘Bon Gamin’s’ back-of-the-head shots. But besides that, it’s ‘Poatan’s’ self-belief that he can actually defeat the Frenchman in a rematch that’s currently enabling him to constantly push for another shot.

In fact, the Brazilian didn’t think twice about calling out his critics, telling them to “Go f***k yourself” for doubting his chances. This shows that he feels a rematch could drastically change the result. However, a grudge match against Hokit remains a much more viable option for many different reasons.

At first, Pereira can finally adapt himself to the 265-pound class against a fighter who usually weighs around 230 pounds. Plus, he would finally prove himself as a legitimate heavyweight after beating one of the division’s top contenders. There’s definitely risk if ‘Poatan’ fights Hokit, but there are also clear rewards attached to it in terms of meritocracy.

That said, it would be interesting to see what path Pereira ultimately chooses for his next fight.