Josh Hokit: Ciryl Gane shouldnt be rewarded for cheating, doesnt
Josh Hokit is ready for the upper echelon of the UFC heavyweight division — and all the drama that comes with it.
It's been a bumpy ride for the UFC's heaviest division since Francis Ngannou parted ways with the promotion while still holding its belt in 2023. The undisputed title somehow hasn't changed hands in the cage since Ngannou's rematch with Stipe Miocic in March 2021. Instead, injuries and retirements have plagued the title scene, most recently leading to Tom Aspinall vacating the title and prompting the promotion of interim champion Ciryl Gane. Hokit will be Gane's first challenger at UFC 334 on Nov. 14.
Considering the circumstances, Hokit admitted on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" that Gane's change to undisputed status is bittersweet.
"I don't think he deserves an undisputed title, but it's better for me because when I beat him, I'll be undisputed. I don't think you should reward someone for cheating," Hokit told Uncrowned.
"But I think it's setting me up perfectly, because when I beat the f*** out of him, I'm undisputed. At the end of the day, that's what they want. The people. Because when I'm the champion, I'm giving them four fights a year."
Hokit, 28, has wasted no time reaching his first UFC title opportunity after going undefeated in his 10-fight career. With four wins within the promotion in less than a year, he's now set for what will inarguably be his toughest test to date, and he's aware of it.
"He's fairly athletic, got decent fight IQ, but s*** it don't matter," Hokit said of Gane.
"I'm just going to break him. I'm prepared. A lot of people prepare combinations. I just prepare for when we both get tired — who keeps going? That's the biggest thing with me. Obviously you can't keep your head on the centerline and just get f***ing jabbed and knocked out like Alex Pereira. So, we're prepared for his lackadaisical flow. I got better eyes and reactions than Pereira."
The Pereira fight was Gane's most recent, with Gane winning the interim belt for the second time in his career at UFC Freedom 250. That same night on the White House's South Lawn, Hokit handily beat Derrick Lewis, putting him at the forefront of contention.
Aspinall presumably has an automatic title fight waiting for him whenever he's ready to return, but the injuries he sustained due to Gane's illegal eye-pokes in their clash last October have lingered.
Even after nearly a year away for the now-former champion, Hokit still isn't sold on the legitimacy of Aspinall's injuries.
"I ain't doing no p**** s*** like no Tom Aspinall. Like, let's wait 500 days for Jon Jones. That s*** ain't going to come to fruition. Then he gets punished," Hokit said. "When you play it safe in this work, you get punished. I ain't playing it safe, and I'm getting rewarded. So Tom Aspinall, he was playing it safe. You know it when you come back to fight Ciryl Gane, and he pokes the f*** out of your eye. Then it's like, now you can't fight.
"Honestly, I don't even think that s***t's real. I think he has his teammates farting on his pillow type s***, then he goes to sleep, gets pink eye, posts that s*** on Instagram like, 'Hey, everybody feel bad for me. I can't fight still.' He has fake surgery, all that other s***. I think he's just trying to get out of his [UFC] deal, if I'm being 100% honest.
"Maybe the UFC isn't trying to pay him what he's asking, but man, his numbers speak for themselves," Hokit continued. "Nobody cares to watch him fight at the end of the day. Not like the bigger names that request that type of money. He's over his head on this one. It's all fake, gang. ... I don't know if he's paying doctors, but I think he's trying to get that bag in boxing. That's what he gets for playing it safe."
Should Hokit get the job done against Gane, he said he'd be open to welcoming Aspinall back to action in 2027, but doesn't expect it to come to fruition. Ideally, he'd like to see the aforementioned Pereira get the next title shot after the two nearly got into a press conference altercation earlier this year.
Aside from Pereira, perennial heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov is also in the mix. The top-ranked Russian has his hands full with Rizvan Kuniev on Oct. 24 at UFC 333, but he spoke last week about having no problem seeing Hokit skip over him for the title shot. Volkov's now-viral explanation: He told Uncrowned that he found it "admirable" that the UFC chose to reward a championship opportunity to someone with a "mental illness."
Hokit responded by pointing out the lack of entertainment he's seen from Volkov's UFC run.
"S***, these sleep doctors, they be prescribing Volkov fights to people that struggle to sleep. You put one of those motherf***ers on, you're snoring immediately," Hokit said.
"He has one finish in the last five. He's been in the game for so long — we already have the same amount of Instagram followers. Nobody cares about you. You already had your chance. Get out of here, gang."
That being said, Hokit also wouldn't be opposed to defending against Volkov in his first potential title defense if he comes out on top in Madison Square Garden.
"Once I get the title, I'll give anybody a fight. That motherf***er lost to Derrick Lewis. … What are we talking about?" Hokit said.
"If it makes sense, I'll fight anybody. He's boring as f***, though. That interview [with Uncrowned], I guess, was the most exciting thing he's done in 20 years. ... He's boring. You say Volkov now; I just wanna yawn. I wanna take a nap."