The heavyweight title picture is finally starting to take shape after Ciryl Gane was promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion. Tom Aspinall recently vacated the belt, and with Gane already holding the interim title, the Frenchman was upgraded to undisputed champion. Now, his first title defense is set against Josh Hokit at UFC 334.
During the UFC 331 broadcast, the promotion officially announced its annual Madison Square Garden card. According to Ariel Helwani, Gane was originally scheduled to face Aspinall at MSG before the Englishman was forced out. That opened the door for Hokit, who now walks into the biggest fight of his career with an undefeated 10-0 record.
The outspoken heavyweight has quickly become one of the UFC’s most talked-about fighters since joining the promotion through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2025. Hokit has gone 4-0 inside the Octagon and picked up three wins in just six months, including a one-sided knockout of Derrick Lewis at UFC White House and a wild Fight of the Year contender against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327.
But while Hokit’s performances inside the cage have been impressive, his personality outside it has created plenty of headlines. And Dana White admitted he has plenty of thoughts about what could happen if Hokit actually gets his hands on the heavyweight title.
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During the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, White was asked if he was worried about Hokit potentially defeating Gane.
White said, “I got a lot of thoughts on that. Yeah, lots and lots. I’m sure they’re the same thoughts that you’re all having. I doubt we’re that different. Yeah.”
Hokit’s verbal antics have already landed him in hot water. The most recent example came after his UFC Freedom 250 win, when he called Michelle Obama a man. White criticized those comments afterward, calling them inappropriate and moronic.
That wasn’t the first time Hokit grabbed attention with his microphone work, either. After his UFC debut win, he delivered an awkward rhyming promo in which he called himself “the boy toy,” “the ladies’ joy” and “the truth-speaking pastor’s pastor.”
He also got into a verbal exchange with Jiri Prochazka ahead of UFC 327 before going back and forth with Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira during the White House event press conference.
White, however, made it clear that Hokit’s comments alone won’t get him into trouble with the UFC as long as he continues winning.
White then added on that front, “I don’t police what people say and any of that sh*t, and if you keep winning. I say it all the time: I don’t have to like you for you to thrive here and do well and be successful. Many people that I do not like have done very well here.”
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He added, “I’m not saying I don’t like Josh Hokit; I literally don’t like anything Josh Hokit says. And that’s not going to change unless he changes, and I don’t see that happening.”
There’s no denying Hokit has backed up his confidence inside the Octagon. He remains perfect at 10-0 and now has a chance to add the biggest win of his career at Madison Square Garden.
If Hokit can beat Gane and capture the heavyweight title on November 14, the UFC could be entering a completely new chapter with its outspoken heavyweight at the top of the division.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
