Alex Pereira has experienced plenty of intense fight buildups throughout his combat sports career, but even he was caught off guard by the chaos that unfolded during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference.
Pereira is set to face Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House. While “Poatan” prepares for one of the biggest fights of his career, it was another fighter, Josh Hokit, who stole headlines during the event’s promotional kickoff.
Hokit, who is scheduled to face Derrick Lewis on the same card, launched into a verbal tirade aimed at Pereira during the press conference. Due to the language barrier, Pereira admitted he struggled to fully understand what was being said in the moment, including one bizarre comment where Hokit said he would “Chama on your momma.”
The situation escalated quickly before UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria stepped in and defended Pereira. Security eventually removed Hokit from the stage.
Speaking to MMA Fighting through a translator, Alex Pereira admitted he was more surprised by Topuria’s actions than by Hokit’s insults.
“Much more surprised with Topuria to stand up, defend me, staying by my side, because I think he felt bad that I don’t speak English, and many things were being said there,” Pereira said.
“The translation was not very sharp because when it’s too simultaneous like that, it’s not too good. So I think that I’m definitely impressed by him, by Ilia Topuria.”
While Hokit’s outburst grabbed attention, Pereira said he remained calm throughout the incident and didn’t fully realize what had happened until later.
“Well, honestly, I was just chill over there,” Pereira said. “I was not able to see too much stuff. Everything happened too fast. I just saw later.”
The former two-division UFC champion has been involved in several high-profile rivalries throughout his career, but he admitted he had never witnessed anything quite like what happened during the Freedom 250 press conference.
“No, no, no,” Pereira said. “I never saw anything like this.”
The drama could potentially set the stage for a future clash between Alex Pereira and Hokit if both fighters continue winning. However, Pereira’s immediate focus remains on his heavyweight title opportunity against Gane.
A victory would move Pereira one step closer to making UFC history by capturing championship gold in a third weight class. The winner is expected to face heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout once the Brit returns from the eye injuries that have kept him sidelined.
For now, Alex Pereira appears more focused on championship success than backstage drama, but the unusual confrontation with Hokit and Topuria’s unexpected show of support—has certainly added another storyline to an already historic UFC Freedom 250 event.
