{
  "id": 11408155,
  "title": "Dana White Shuts Down Alex Pereira Rematch Calls and Explains Josh Hokit’s UFC 334 Title Shot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/dana-white-shuts-down-alex-pereira-rematch-calls-and-explains-josh",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T09:35:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dana-white-shuts-down-alex-093540746.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During a recent media roundtable ahead of UFC 334, UFC President Dana White firmly dismissed calls for a rematch between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, explaining why Josh Hokit was selected for the heavyweight title bout instead. The fight was officially confirmed when Tom Aspinall vacated the interim heavyweight title, making Gane the undisputed champion. Hokit, with an undefeated 10-0 record, came into the fight after impressive victories over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, despite not fitting the typical mold for an immediate title shot. White questioned the basis for the demand to see Pereira fight Gane, pointing out that Pereira had just lost to Gane in their last encounter. He emphasized that the UFC makes decisions based on who the best fighters are, not star power, and stressed that Pereira was coming off a loss against Gane. White also noted that the fight between Pereira and Gane was not met with overwhelming fan demand for a rematch. The UFC CEO concluded that the matchup between Hokit and Gane is the appropriate fight to make, given Hokit's undefeated record and his ability to showcase his skills on a world stage.",
  "summary": "Dana White explains why Josh Hokit was chosen ahead of Alex Pereira for the undisputed heavyweight title bout at UFC 334.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}