🚨 Dana White was asked why Josh Hokit was chosen to fight Ciryl Gane instead of giving Alex Pereira the rematch, with the interviewer pointing to Pereira’s star power. Dana pushed back on that idea, asking whether the UFC makes fights based on star power. His answer was clear: the fights are made based on who is the best and who deserves to be there, and Pereira is coming off a loss to Gane. 🥊 “This is the fight to make.” 🎯 Do you agree with Dana’s reasoning? 👀 #ufc #alexpereira #mma #danawhite #joshhokit
UFC CEO Dana White has defended the decision to book Josh Hokit against Ciryl Gane rather than hand Alex Pereira an immediate rematch, rejecting the suggestion that star power should drive matchmaking.
White was asked why Hokit was chosen for the fight over Pereira, with the interviewer pointing to the Brazilian's drawing power. White pushed back, asking whether the UFC makes fights based on star power. His answer was that bouts are made on who is the best and who deserves the opportunity, and he noted that Pereira is coming off a loss to Gane. In his words, "This is the fight to make."
Gane and Pereira in context
Ciryl Gane is the top-ranked heavyweight, carrying a 14-2-0 record. The 36-year-old Frenchman trains out of MMA Factory and fights from an orthodox stance. At six-foot-four with an 81-inch reach, he lands 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy, and he averages 0.68 takedowns and 0.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Alex Pereira, nicknamed Poatan, holds a 13-4-0 record and is ranked third at light heavyweight. The 39-year-old Brazilian, who fights out of Teixeira MMA & Fitness, is also six-foot-four, with a 79-inch reach. He lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 62 percent accuracy, and his takedown average is just 0.11 per 15 minutes, underlining a striking-first approach.
Why it matters
- White's comments frame the matchmaking as merit-based: Pereira's recent loss to Gane, in his view, counts against an instant rematch.
- Pereira's commercial pull was the central argument for the rematch, and White chose to dismiss it as a factor.
- The decision places Hokit in a high-profile spot against the division's top-ranked fighter.
The exchange highlights a familiar tension in the sport between drawing power and divisional merit, with White firmly siding with the latter.
