"Gonna Chama On His Mama"- Josh Hokit Targets Alex Pereira And His Mother In Wild UFC 334 Presser

Josh Hokit insults Alex Pereira and takes another dig at his mother© NDTV Library

Josh Hokit turned the UFC 334 press conference into his personal show on Thursday, November 12, at Madison Square Garden as the unbeaten heavyweight challenger celebrated his 29th birthday by taking shots at Alex Pereira, who was sitting in the front row. Hokit raised his middle finger and challenged the former UFC champion, while Pereira responded with a smile and laughter. The Brazilian was attending the event to support his teammate Yousri Belgaroui, who faces Caio Borralho on Saturday. Hokit also targeted Ciryl Gane, questioning his character after the heavyweight champion remained silent during the verbal spat.

Josh Hokit Flips Off Alex Pereira and Takes Another Dig at His Mother

The exchange started when a reporter mentioned Alex Pereira's presence in the front row. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion was there to support Yousri Belgaroui, who trains alongside him.

Hokit immediately stood up, raised his middle finger and directed his attention towards Poatan.

“I'm gonna chama on his mama. He ain't gonna do st about it. You ain't gonna do st about it. F**k you!”, Hokit said.

Pereira did not look bothered. He stood up, raised both hands as if inviting Hokit to continue, and eventually returned to his seat while laughing. The reaction was pretty much the opposite of what the challenger wanted.

However, Belgaroui was not impressed by the American's antics and the 6 '5 middleweight told Hokit to shut up, making it clear that he was not enjoying the exchange.

According to RMC Sport, Hokit had already targeted Pereira earlier in the press conference. He started with a joke about the Brazilian's accent, saying, “Alex Pereira, I know that in Brazil you don't pronounce the R's, so I'm going to make you feel at home” (translated from French).

He then used an offensive slur directed at people with intellectual disabilities.

Pereira responded without saying anything. He picked up his phone, displayed the word “retard” on the screen and turned it towards the stage.

This was not the first time Hokit had brought Pereira's mother into his trash talk. At the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, the American made similar comments, prompting Ilia Topuria to throw a bottle at him which prompted security to eventually remove Hokit from the stage.

Josh Hokit Challenges Ciryl Gane After Attacking His Fighting Record

Alex Pereira was not the only fighter targeted by Hokit at the Madison Square Garden press conference. The American also went after heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, who is preparing for his first title defence.

Hokit brought up Gane's history of controversial fouls, particularly the eye poke that ended Tom Aspinall's night at UFC 321 and eventually contributed to the British fighter vacating the heavyweight title.