Josh Hokit urges UFC to cut Tom Aspinall, mocks Alex Pereira

Unbeaten heavyweight Josh Hokit called for the UFC to release champion Tom Aspinall and declared interim titleholder Ciryl Gane the rightful kingpin of the division.

Hokit took to social media to address the heavyweight picture after Aspinall was sidelined with an eye injury from his first title defense against Gane last October, which ended in a no contest. Gane later claimed interim gold with a technical knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, though Pereira has repeatedly criticized referee Herb Dean's handling of strikes he says landed on the back of his head.

Hokit targets Gane fight, dismisses Pereira complaints

Per Sherdog, Hokit mocked Pereira for complaining about the finish and suggested the former two-division champion had lost his mystique. "This crybaby has lost all of his aura," Hokit wrote on X. "Here's an idea @ufc. Cut Tom. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyways IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom's manager is trying to play games. Give me Ciryl in September and when I win I will give @AlexPereiraUFC a chance to get his self esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ that is down to fight all of the time."

Hokit stopped Derrick Lewis on the same card Gane beat Pereira. The 10-0 contender has only four UFC wins but has built a following with his trash talk and multiple in-cage personas.

Aspinall's camp has not announced a timeline for his return, while Gane waits to see if the promotion will book an undisputed title unification or grant him an interim defense first.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Heavyweight contender calls for UFC to cut Tom Aspinall, slams Alex Pereira