Josh Hokit Pitches Pereira BMF Fight

Josh Hokit has publicly proposed a BMF title fight against Alex Pereira as he continues to seek a matchup with the former champion. Hokit laid out the idea in a post on X, suggesting that he and Pereira could meet for the BMF belt if Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane are booked to fight. Under Hokit’s proposed format, the winner would become next in line for the heavyweight title. The post is the latest part of Hokit’s campaign for a Pereira fight, rather than confirmation that the UFC has made the matchup.

The proposal arrives after a significant stretch of movement around Josh Hokit’s heavyweight position. In June, Hokit knocked out Derrick Lewis in the second round of their UFC Freedom 250 clash, a result that moved him into the top five of the heavyweight rankings. He has since lost that top-five place after Rizvan Kuniev replaced him. Those changes give Hokit’s callout a clear competitive backdrop: he is presenting a Pereira bout as a route back toward the front of the title discussion, while the supplied report does not indicate that a bout, a BMF contest or a next-in-line designation has been officially announced.

Josh Hokit’s proposed title pathway

Josh Hokit’s message was conditional. He wrote that he wants the title, but offered the Pereira BMF fight as an alternative if Aspinall and Gane “actually get ink’d.” That wording matters because it makes the idea dependent on another heavyweight fight being finalized. Hokit then attached a direct consequence to his proposed matchup, saying its winner would become next in line for the heavyweight title. It is a simple public pitch, but one built around the uncertainty described in the heavyweight division over the last year following Aspinall’s injury.

That division context also explains why Hokit is framing the BMF belt as more than a standalone attraction. An interim title was introduced at Freedom 250, where Gane knocked out Pereira in the second round. Hokit’s suggestion would place Pereira back into a heavyweight-related conversation after that result while giving Hokit a high-profile opponent following his Lewis victory. Still, the report presents this as Hokit’s own preferred plan. There is no confirmation in the supplied material that Aspinall versus Gane has been signed, that Pereira has accepted Hokit’s challenge, or that the UFC has attached title implications to a potential meeting.

Why Pereira remains central to the callout

Josh Hokit’s pursuit of Pereira did not begin with the BMF proposal. Before Pereira’s fight with Gane, the two had a run-in at the fighter hotel, after which Hokit began directing verbal attacks toward the Brazilian. Following Pereira’s loss, Hokit continued to pitch a fight between them. His latest post adds a specific structure and a suggested reward to that campaign. Pereira’s recent comments also provide the immediate context for Hokit’s renewed push: this past weekend, the 39-year-old said he would like to fight once more before potentially challenging again for the heavyweight title. That does not establish Hokit as Pereira’s next opponent, but it explains why Hokit is trying to position his own proposal within Pereira’s stated desire to return.

• Josh Hokit’s condition: Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane would need to be booked before he would pivot to a Pereira BMF fight.
• Josh Hokit’s proposed outcome: the winner of a fight with Alex Pereira would become next in line for the heavyweight title.

Josh Hokit has made his preferred next move clear: a BMF fight with Alex Pereira, conditional on Aspinall and Gane being booked, with a heavyweight title opportunity attached to the winner. The proposal follows Hokit’s second-round knockout of Lewis and his subsequent ranking shift, while also building on his ongoing public campaign against Pereira. For now, it remains a pitch from Hokit rather than an announced UFC matchup.

Sources: Bloody Elbow