Alex Pereira is not letting this one go. According to multiple outlets including Sherdog, Yahoo Sports, MiddleEasy, LowKick MMA and Bloody Elbow, Pereira believes the UFC leans on Daniel Cormier and other prominent voices to build public support for certain matchups, specifically pointing to the lead up to Ciryl Gane's title defense against Josh Hokit.
The frustration traces back to June fourteenth, when Gane beat Pereira by knockout with punches in the second round at one minute, twenty-seven seconds. Pereira wanted the rematch and instead watched the promotion book Gane against Hokit for UFC three thirty-four on November fourteenth. Gane is a heavy favorite there at minus two fifty-five, with our own model giving him a seventy-one percent chance, while Hokit sits at plus two fifteen with a twenty-nine percent read from the same model.
That Hokit booking is not nothing.
Whether there is anything to Pereira's theory or it is simply a champion venting after a brutal knockout loss, the comments are already spreading. It is clear plenty of fans have opinions on where Pereira goes from here if Pavlovich does not get him back in the picture.