UFC CEO Dana White says he may have stacked Josh Hokit’s schedule with tough opponents because he did not like what the unbeaten heavyweight was saying.
Hokit challenges Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title in the UFC 334 main event on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. ‘The Incredible Hok’ is the No. 4 contender and a moderate underdog, but is undefeated in his career.
White was speaking on the Jim Rome show (h/t MMA Junkie), and had this to say about Hokit’s road to the title shot:
“Hokit (vs. Gane) was the fight to make. Hokit has been overlooked the entire time, not only by the fans and media, but by me. I didn’t like some of the things he said, so I might have threw some tough guys at him, and he passed every test, and here he is. Like him or hate him, he fought his way to the top, and there’s no denying that this guy deserves this title shot and belongs there.”
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The friction started with Hokit’s post-fight promos. After knocking out Denzel Freeman at UFC 324 in January, the 28-year-old delivered a long, wrestling-style speech that drew criticism for crude language and a derogatory remark about WNBA star Brittney Griner.
His war with Curtis Blaydes bought some goodwill, but it did not last. After stopping Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 in June, Hokit made a disparaging comment about former first lady Michelle Obama in his post-fight interview.
White called that kind of talk nonsense at the time and has not softened since.
How Josh Hokit fought his way to a UFC title shot
Josh Hokit earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2025 by stopping Guilherme Uriel with elbows in the second round, then debuted three months later with a first-round finish of Max Gimenis.
Curtis Blaydes was the real test. Ranked No. 5 at the time, he met Hokit at UFC 327 in Miami in April, and the pair combined for the most significant strikes in UFC heavyweight history across three bloody rounds. Hokit won a unanimous decision and $200,000 in Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses.
Derrick Lewis was next at the White House card, and Hokit stopped him in the second round. That made it three wins in six months and a 10-0 record.
Ciryl Gane, 36, holds the belt because Tom Aspinall vacated it in September after repeated eye surgeries. Nov. 14 is the Frenchman’s first defense of the undisputed title.
Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
