Dana White opened up about the heated exchange between Ilia Topuria and Josh Hokit last week. Despite public’s perception, the UFC CEO stressed that he does not like incidents like that.
The altercation began after Hokit targeted Alex Pereira, who was seated two spots to his left. That did not sit well with Topuria, who sat next to Pereira. He defended the Brazilian and attempted to throw a bottle.
‘El Matador’ still managed to throw an object at the former NFL player, which led to both men being separated.
The press conference concluded shortly afterward, but Hokit managed to sneak in one final jibe at Topuria. White was unhappy with the situation and made it clear that the incident had nothing to do with promoting a fight.
Topuria currently competes at lightweight, while Hokit fights at heavyweight. As a result, a sanctioned bout between them is impossible. Fortunately for the promotion, the situation did not escalate any further.
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House is a month away and White said he does not want anything jeopardizing the card. Topuria is slated to headline the event against Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout. Meanwhile, Hokit was a late addition to the card and will face former title challenger Derrick Lewis.
UFC CEO Dana White Addresses Ilia Topuria-Josh Hokit Incident
Dana White described the incident between Ilia Topuria and Josh Hokit as an unfortunate situation. Hokit appeared to pick up where he left off during the UFC 327 pre-fight press conference. He first took aim at his opponent, Derrick Lewis, before shifting his attention to Alex Pereira.
“I don’t want any of these guys getting hurt over stupid [expletive] that means nothing with guys that are never going to fight each other,” White told reporters at the UFC 328 post-fight press conference. “It’s not like Ilia Topuria and Josh Hokit are going to end up fighting.”
The UFC CEO emphasized that while he dislikes Hokit’s antics, the heavyweight has proven himself to be a legitimate fighter.
“I think the whole thing [Hokit does at the press conferences] is goofy anyway but the guy went out and performed,” he said. “[He was] an unranked guy and went in and beat [Curtis Blaydes, who is the] No. 5 guy in the world.”
White Shares Reaction to Topuria and Hokit Incident
White also shared his reaction to the altercation between Topuria and Hokit.
The tense moment began when ‘The Incredible Hok’ tried to provoke Pereira. The UFC CEO saw what was unfolding and moved behind ‘Poatan’ to help de-escalate the situation.
White recalled the incident and noted that it was uncharacteristic for both Topuria and Pereira, particularly ‘El Matador,’ to lose his composure.
“Ilia and Alex are pretty chill guys, normally, Ilia flips out every now and then. We didn’t see that coming,” White said. “They’re all sitting next to each other in the same row. [Sean] O’Malley scoots back and I’m just like, ‘You’ve got to be [expletive] kidding me right now.”
He continued:
“All I was worried about was the weigh-ins [afterward] and not anything happening [between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev].”
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