Pereira accuses UFC of manipulating public opinion on heavyweight title bout

Alex Pereira, 39, the Brazilian former two-division UFC champion, has publicly questioned how the promotion assembled its upcoming heavyweight title fight, alleging that UFC enlisted influential figures to build favorable public opinion around a matchup he believes should have featured him.

MMA Fighting and Sherdog reported Tuesday (local time) that Pereira made the accusations in an interview with Brazilian combat sports journalist Laercio Viana, openly criticizing the process behind the heavyweight title fight booking.

His remarks centered on the UFC 334 heavyweight title bout scheduled for Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Current champion Cyril Gane of France will defend his title against unbeaten prospect Josh Howkit of the United States. Pereira argued that he, not Howkit, should have been the one to face Gane for the belt.

Pereira lost to Gane by second-round knockout at UFC Freedom 250 in June, in what was billed as an interim title fight. He had since demanded a rematch, citing what he described as an illegal blow to the back of the head. When Tom Aspinall of Britain relinquished the heavyweight title due to an eye injury and interim champion Gane was elevated to undisputed champion, Pereira expected to be next in line. Instead, UFC chose Howkit as Gane's first title defense opponent.

Pereira said he learned of the Gane-Howkit pairing directly from UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. He said UFC told him the promotion had conducted a fan survey or poll, and that the results showed more support for a Gane-Howkit fight — though Pereira said he was never shown the actual results.

"UFC said they did a survey and that fans wanted that fight, but I never saw that survey," he said. "I didn't agree with it, but the decision is theirs. It all seems somewhat rigged."

Pereira particularly singled out Daniel Cormier, the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion who now works as a commentator. He said Cormier and other influential figures were already speaking positively about the Gane-Howkit matchup before any official announcement was made.

"I saw Cormier and others saying it was a great fight before it was even announced," he said, alleging that UFC used high-profile voices to prime fans into accepting the booking without pushback.

He added that UFC had those figures endorse the matchup in advance specifically to soften fan resistance once the announcement came.

Howkit, meanwhile, has emerged as a rising force in the heavyweight division since joining UFC last year, winning four straight bouts. In June, he knocked out veteran Derek Lewis. His overall record stands at 10-0.

Having missed out on a title rematch, Pereira will instead fight Sergei Pavlovich of Russia in a five-round bout at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on Dec. 12.

Ahead of that fight, Pereira also traded barbs with fellow heavyweight Walter Walker of Brazil. After Walker questioned Pereira's chances against Pavlovich, Pereira fired back with a public sparring challenge.

"I invited him to train with me and he ran away. I heard he got scared," Pereira said. "If he can beat me in sparring and submit me with a leg lock, I'll pay him the same purse I made in my last fight."

Walker has finished his last five bouts by lower-body submission — a style that could pose a genuine threat to Pereira, whose game is built around striking.