Josh Hokit welcomes Herb Dean to officiate his fights amid Alex Pereira’s complaints: “The back of my head would shatter Ciryl Gane’s elbow”

By Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2026 at 11:20 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Josh Hokit has decided to poke some fun at Alex Pereira’s gripes post-UFC Freedom 250.

Pereira and Hokit competed in separate bouts during UFC’s historic card on the White House lawn. “Poatan” attempted to become a three-division champion when he collided with Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Pereira fell short when he suffered a second-round TKO loss.

Meanwhile for Hokit, he shined on the biggest stage by putting away Derrick Lewis in the second stanza via TKO. The victory improved “The Incredible Hok’s” pro MMA record to 10-0.

In the aftermath of UFC Freedom 250, Pereira has been quite vocal about the officiating of Herb Dean. Pereira has scolded Dean for not acknowledging illegal strikes to the back of the head. Not only has Pereira called for Dean to be removed from his position as a referee, but he has even mulled over possibly retiring for his safety.

Hokit has caught wind of Pereira’s criticisms and he took to his X account to poke fun at the situation while calling for a title showdown with Gane.

“The Incredible Hok’s eyes would break Ciryl Gane’s fingers and the back of my head would shatter his elbow,” Hokit wrote. “I insist that Herb ref our fight.”

Hokit further played up his character by suggesting he fight Gane in Paris while purposely throwing in an inaccuracy.

“Fighting Gan in France is exciting, since I’ve never been to the Middle East before,” Hokit said.

While Gane has seemingly set himself up for a title unification bout against Tom Aspinall, there has been some issues between the main heavyweight champion and the UFC brass. If cooler heads don’t prevail, it could leave the door open for Hokit to possibly get an undisputed title opportunity. Time will tell how things ultimately play out.

What do you think Josh Hokit’s next fight will be? Could he collide with Alex Pereira or even Ciryl Gane with UFC gold at stake? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Alex Pereira Josh Hokit UFC