Alex Pereira has been asked about the strangest moment of UFC 334 press week, and he answered.
“Alex Pereira gives his thoughts on the ‘awkward’ interaction with Josh Hokit at the #UFC334 press conference 👀,” MMA Fighting wrote on X on Friday, attaching video shot by Jose Youngs.
The post doesn’t spell out what Pereira said, and I’m not putting words in the mouth of a man who knocks people unconscious for a living. It does confirm two things. The exchange was odd enough that a reporter asked him about it, and MMA Fighting chose the word “awkward” for the caption.
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Pereira (13-4) is a former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion and a former middleweight champion. He now competes at heavyweight, where Knockout Daily’s rankings have him at No. 6. He hasn’t fought since June 14. His next fight is against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on Dec. 12, on the card headlined by Oliveira vs. Lopes.
Hokit has been the loudest thing about this fight week. He’s 10-0, a former Fresno State fullback and All-American wrestler who spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. He headlines UFC 334 against Ciryl Gane on Saturday. He sits No. 10 in our heavyweight rankings and No. 5 in the Meta UFC heavyweight rankings as of Oct. 24.
His microphone work has run blue. Championship Rounds clipped Hokit saying, “On that side of the table, they like dck. On this side of the table, we like pssy.” According to that account, Amanda Nunes loved it.
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Then came Friday’s weigh-in. Championship Rounds reported that Hokit showed up acting “drunk” again and went limp on the scale for more than a minute. Somebody at the commission table earned their per diem.
Put a straight-faced Brazilian who rarely wastes words next to a 28-year-old former tight end doing improv, and you get awkward. Nobody should be surprised.
No Pereira vs. Hokit fight is booked, and none of the sources point to one. Both men are heavyweights, though, and both fight within a month of each other. If Hokit gets past Gane and Pereira handles Pavlovich, a matchmaker who likes chaos would at least sketch it on a napkin.
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Hokit’s first test is Gane on Saturday, Nov. 14. Pereira gets Pavlovich four weeks later.
