Dana White explains why Josh Hokit — not Alex Pereira — got the UFC heavyweight title shot

UFC president Dana White has explained why Josh Hokit, rather than Alex Pereira, was selected as the next challenger for Ciryl Gane's heavyweight title, despite expectations in some quarters that the former two-division champion would get another crack at gold.

Background

Gane recently knocked out Pereira to win the interim heavyweight championship at UFC Freedom 250. After Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight title last month to focus on recovering from eye surgery, speculation grew that Gane and Pereira might run it back for the undisputed belt. Instead, the UFC confirmed that Hokit will face Gane on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York, as reported by Fighters Only.

White's comments

Asked by reporters whether Pereira's popularity might have earned him the title shot, White rejected the idea that matchmaking is driven by star power. "We make fights based on star power? We make fights based on who is the best in the world, who deserves to be there," he said. White pointed out that Pereira is coming off a loss to Gane but insisted the Brazilian remains firmly in the heavyweight title picture, describing the situation as a matter of timing rather than exclusion. "He'll get his shot... Sometimes people get in these weird positions where they feel like they're in no man's land, but it's just a timing issue," White added.

Costa's offer

Separately, former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa has said on X that he would be willing to fight Pereira if Pereira does not take on Sergei Pavlovich, as reported by MMA Sucka. Costa is asking for a three-round bout with six weeks' notice. He has one fight left on his UFC contract and has previously pushed UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell for either a three-round fight, a five-round fight at light heavyweight with a higher purse, or release from his contract. White has denied claims that the UFC has failed to offer Costa fights, saying the fighter has turned down bouts offered to him.

There has been no official confirmation that Pavlovich is next for Pereira, though some fans consider it plausible given the Russian's current three-fight win streak; others remain skeptical of the matchup altogether.