Alex Pereira Accuses UFC and Daniel Cormier of Manipulating Fans

Alex Pereira (13-4) has accused the UFC of attempting to manipulate public opinion by using Daniel Cormier to generate support for an upcoming heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane (14-2, 1 NC) and Josh Hokit (10-0).

A former two-division champion, Pereira believes the promotion manufactured enthusiasm for the matchup rather than granting him an immediate rematch with Gane, who stopped Pereira in the second round of their June 14 bout.

Pereira this week claimed the UFC informed him that a fan poll favored Gane vs. Hokit, although he had never seen the results.

“It’s all kind of manipulated. I saw before the announcement that Cormier and other guys [were] saying that it will be a good fight,” Pereira said. “I think they did everything there to make people believe that this should be the fight.”

Pereira also criticized Cormier’s opinions on the heavyweight championship, arguing that the UFC commentator and former two-weight UFC champion had contradicted himself.

The allegations remain unsubstantiated, with no independent evidence that the UFC directed Cormier or manipulated a fan poll.

Gane defends his heavyweight title against unbeaten Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14 in New York. Pereira instead faces Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas.