Josh Hokit is not wasting time in building his UFC profile. The undefeated heavyweight is already targeting the biggest names in the division, and he has one fighter firmly in his sights.
With momentum on his side after a standout win over Curtis Blaydes, Hokit is now calling for a collision with Alex Pereira as his rise continues.
Hokit targets Pereira after breakout UFC run
Josh Hokit (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has quickly turned into one of the more talked-about heavyweight prospects. His win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 helped push him into the spotlight, and he was later booked against Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250.
At the same event, Alex Pereira is set for a high-stakes interim heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane. Hokit has already used the moment to put himself in Pereira’s direction, even getting removed from a press conference after a heated exchange.
“He’s never faced a guy like me”
Hokit did not hold back when discussing Pereira’s rise and reputation in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio.
“Alex Pereira, I want to ‘chama’ on Alex Pereira’s mama,”
He later questioned the meaning behind Pereira’s signature phrase.
“’Oh my God, he said mama. He said he’s gonna chama on his mama.’ What does chama mean? What if Alex was just playing all of us and chama means ‘f*ck you’ or something this whole time? Imagine that? Man, what a legend.”
Despite respecting Pereira’s achievements, Hokit believes the timing of his career helped shape his dominance.
“I want Pereira. He’s a legend in the sport, or at least that’s what everyone is saying,”
“And I just think he came into the sport at a right time with a bunch of strikers. I don’t take away the whole rivalry with Adesanya – that was great.”
He also believes the matchup works in his favor stylistically.
“But everybody else, it was all favorable matchups, all strikers. But at least he was able to perform a certain way and get all his opponents out of there, and his fights are pretty fun to watch. So I would also like to use his name to catapult my name. I think he’s never faced a guy like me.”
For Hokit, the message is clear. The climb up the heavyweight ladder is not about waiting. It is about calling out the biggest name available.