Alex Pereira: Josh Hokit wasn’t so tough without security around

Alex Pereira has questioned Josh Hokit's willingness to back up his trash talk when security is not present. Pereira (13-3) faces Ciryl Gane (13-2) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC White House: Freedom 250 on June 14, while Hokit (9-0) battles Derrick Lewis (29-13) on the same card.

Hokit has been barred from the official press conference scheduled for June 12 at the Lincoln Memorial, though Pereira believes trouble could still arise during fight week. Pereira told Ariel Helwani that Hokit crossed a line by insulting fighters' families—a transgression Pereira said would spark serious conflict in Brazilian street culture. According to Pereira, when they encountered each other earlier on the day of last month's press conference, Hokit was standoffish despite being just three feet away, turning and walking off when Pereira greeted him with "Chama."

"He did cross the line," Pereira explained. "I've seen guys trash-talk the fighter, the father of the fighter, trash-talk whatever, but never trash-talk the mother. In Brazil, on the street code, you never talk about the mother." Pereira suggested that Hokit's confidence stems from the presence of security personnel ready to intervene, but questioned whether that bravado would persist in a more direct confrontation. The comments underscore the tension building ahead of the White House event.