Alex Pereira believes Daniel Cormier was influenced by the UFC to campaign for Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit.
In a recent interview with Laerte Viana, former two-division UFC champion Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) took umbrage with Cormier allegedly being told to sell Gane vs. Hokit as the better fight over a Gane vs. Pereira rematch.
Pereira was finished by Gane in their title fight at UFC Freedom 250, and Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) now will defend his title against Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the UFC 334 headliner on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Cormier wants to clear the air on what he views as a misunderstanding.
"Alex Pereira is one of the best fighters we have seen in a very long time," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "Alex Pereira is a middleweight
champion, a light heavyweight champion, and a guy that now fights in the heavyweight division. Alex Pereira and I have built a relationship over the past five years that he's been here. I believe that it's a great relationship, and I believe that it's a friendship. But today, I was given something by Luis that Pereira did an interview, and he said some things, and I think a lot of it is just a bit confusing to me.
"One, it's about the Josh Hokit-Ciryl Gane fight, but that doesn't necessarily bother me much at all. It's not true, though. I was not told by the UFC to promote this as the fight to happen. I will tell you why I think that was the fight to happen after some fact-checking. Again, I have nothing against Alex Pereira. If anything, I consider him a buddy of mine. We've had some great moments, we've had some great interviews, we've had some great interactions."
Cormier questions Pereira's behavior after the Gane loss. "Poatan" went off on referee Herb Dean for missing numerous back of the head shots while Gane was trying to finish him. He also took a shot at Gane vs. Hokit by saying the title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes should have headlined over it.
"I think he's a bit misguided in how he's approaching it," Cormier said. "Because he's trying to get this rematch, and I really don't know what he wants to base this immediate rematch on, outside of possibly the strikes to the back of the head. If he's building his case on, 'I deserve this rematch based on him finishing me in Round 2 with illegal strikes,' maybe. But outside of that one thing, there really isn't much to warrant him getting an immediate title fight.
"I would suggest that his history in fighting, his championship, double champion, and the fights that he's had allowed him to jump to heavyweight and fight for the belt before other guys. But if I would have lost when I went up to fight Stipe the first time, I don't imagine that I could have asked for an immediate rematch. I just don't. Especially when I don't have anything to base it on. Because if it isn't based on the illegal strikes, then is an immediate rematch based on, 'I just want this. I just want the rematch.' I don't know. I need Alex to tell me what he is basing this request on."
Why Josh Hokit's UFC 334 title shot makes sense
Cormier justified Hokit getting the fight with Gane over Pereira.
"Josh Hokit has won those two early fights, and his third fight, a year into the UFC, they put him in there with the No. 5-ranked guy in the world in Curtis Blaydes, and that was one of the best heavyweight fights we’ve ever seen," Cormier said. "Then he beats Derrick Lewis, who has fought for the title twice and is ranked inside the top 10. He's got two top-10 wins in a division that doesn't have that much depth. Look, it could have been Volkov, because Volkov already has a history with Ciryl Gane. But even that, even if it wasn't Hokit, they probably would have went with Volkov."
Alex Pereira could fight for UFC heavyweight title soon
Pereira meets Sergei Pavlovich (20-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in a five-round bout in the UFC 335 co-headliner on Dec. 12 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. If he beats Pavlovich, then Cormier says he undoubtedly No. 1 contender.
"Now, Pereira goes and wins his fight, I would definitely say he deserves to fight the winner," Cormier said. "I just don't know that the result at the White House helps him in any way, shape, or form to be fighting for the belt immediately, but I didn't say he wasn't going to be the champion.
"I actually said quite the opposite, that if he won, he would be in the GOAT conversation with two guys I admire greatly in Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson and Georges St-Pierre. So, I just don't want the conversation changing because now it feels like we are not aligned in terms of our views, when in reality, I have been a big advocate for Alex Pereira at every single step."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier: Alex Pereira 'misguided' to believe UFC made me push for Gane vs. Hokit
