Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit snubbed as ex-heavyweight star picks different opponent for Ciryl Gane

Stefan Struve wants to see Ciryl Gane in a rematch — but not the Alex Pereira one.

Having failed in three attempts inside the cage, Gane finally became the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion without needing to fight.

Tom Aspinall remains sidelined owing to the damage sustained from Gane’s pokes last October. After the latest setback in his recovery, the Englishman has opted to vacate the title.

Despite being the cause of Aspinall’s devastating injury, ‘Bon Gamin’ has been rewarded with the undisputed crown, and the UFC has a number of options for the Frenchman’s first defense.

Before Aspinall vacated, Gane was expected to challenge the champ after earning a rematch by becoming the interim heavyweight titleholder.

To secure that title for the second time in his career, Gane knocked out Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 this past June.

Given ‘Poatan’s’ complaints about the officiating before the second-round stoppage in Washington, DC, many are expecting the Brazilian to be booked opposite ‘Bon Gamin’ next.

Fighting against that rumor online has been Josh Hokit, who believes he is more worthy after a star-making 2026 thus far.

While speaking to Heavy.com, however, former heavyweight contender Stefan Struve snubbed both men to name Alexander Volkov as the most deserving.

“I still firmly believe Alexander Volkov won that second fight against Ciryl Gane,” Struve said. “In an ideal world, Aspinall vs. Volkov 2 was the logical fight to make, but since Gane walked away with the decision on the scorecards, that door closed.

“Regardless, I still think Volkov deserves the next title shot. Looking at the rest of the division, Josh Hokit is a guy who definitely talks the talk and walks the walk, but he needs at least one more marquee win to earn a title shot.

“Personally, I’d love to see him fight Alex Pereira,” Struve continued. “Hokit has talked an incredible amount of smack to Pereira, and while trash talk shouldn’t just hand you a fight, Pereira absolutely deserves the chance to land his signature left hook on his chin.”

After a convincing loss to Gane in 2021, many believe Volkov deserved to get his revenge when they ran it back at UFC 310 in December 2024.

Despite the general consensus being that the Russian star had won, the Frenchman was awarded the decision.

Dana White reassured Volkov that the promotion was aware of the ‘robbery’, but that has not helped ‘Drago’ get a title shot in the two years since.

Volkov is now riding a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta to reach 40 professional wins in mixed martial arts.