Josh Hokit Doubles Down on Everything Ahead of UFC 334 Title Fight
Josh Hokit has no regrets, no filter, and no plans to stop talking before his heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane at MSG.
Josh Hokit is not slowing down. The undefeated heavyweight challenger used UFC 334 media day to double down on his controversial comments, escalate his trash talk, and make it clear he has zero interest in playing the role of a polished title contender.
Hokit (10-0), who challenges undisputed champion Ciryl Gane (14-2) in Saturday's main event at Madison Square Garden, kicked off media day with what LowKick MMA described as a roast of Gane, Daniel Cormier, Kayla Harrison, Joaquin Buckley, and others.
When asked about his earlier comments calling Michelle Obama a man during a White House visit, Hokit refused to walk them back. He told The Ariel Helwani Show he has no regrets and is operating on gut instinct. "When I'm on my deathbed, I'm gonna look back and regret that I didn't go harder," Hokit said.
The 28-year-old then went further in an interview posted by UFC on Paramount+. Asked whether he considers Gane a dirty fighter, Hokit launched into a hypothetical chain of retaliation that escalated from eye pokes and low blows to threats involving Gane's family, per Sherdog. He closed with, "That's the mentality, at least."
Gane, for his part, revealed that Hokit had sent him private messages claiming he would beat the champion in both basketball and MMA. "He's messaged me privately before. I've never told anyone this," Gane said in an interview with RMC Sport Combat. Hokit also told Gane that soccer is a "wimp's sport." Gane said it was funny.
Even Dana White reportedly believes Hokit has gone too far, per LowKick MMA, though the challenger insists he has not gone far enough. Hokit said he believes the UFC wants him to win because of how active he plans to be as champion. "I'm looking to be real active, and that's more than half the problem with the heavyweight division," he said.
I've been covering this kid since he showed up, and I'll say what nobody in the media wants to say: Josh Hokit is the most interesting thing to happen to the UFC heavyweight division in years, and it's not close.
Is he out of pocket? Absolutely. The Michelle Obama stuff was dumb, the family threats were way over the line, and Gane has every right to think this guy is unhinged. But Hokit is also 10-0, fighting for the title in his fifth UFC appearance, at Madison Square Garden, and every single person reading this knows his name. That's not an accident.
The part nobody talks about is what he said on Helwani's show when the cameras felt less hot. He wants to be active. He wants to defend the belt regularly. He thinks the division's biggest problem is that heavyweights fight once a year and coast. He's right about that. Whether the UFC can handle a champion who says whatever crosses his mind at a White House event is a different question entirely. Saturday night answers the only question that matters: can he actually fight at this level?
