Undefeated heavyweight star Josh Hokit prepares for the biggest opportunity of his life. With less than seven weeks to go before stepping onto the sport’s biggest stage at Madison Square Garden, all eyes have been on how the rising contender is handling the pressure of his first undisputed championship camp.
However, this weekend, he stole the spotlight away from the fight itself during a casual promotional meet-and-greet on Sunday because a routine interaction with a fan took a shocking turn.
Josh Hokit Chokes Out Fan in Meet-and-Greet
During the Paramount Peptide Solutions meet-and-greet, Hokit locked in a rear-naked choke at the fan’s request. He held the choke for about five seconds until the fan passed out. As Hokit lowered him to the floor, the fan twitched a few times. He woke up shortly after and drank some water before standing up. Hokit then joked to the crowd, asking who wanted to go next.
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Hokit, 28, currently holds a perfect 10-0 record, including a 4-0 run in the UFC. His opponent, Ciryl Gane, is making his first title defense after former champion Tom Aspinall vacated the belt due to an eye injury that became critical after a recent sparring session.
Fighters frequently take body shots or demonstrate submissions at meet-and-greets, but online critics slammed Hokit because the fan’s severe physical reaction was so close to a real fight.
Before transitioning to MMA, Hokit excelled as an All-American wrestler and a running back at Fresno State, where he ran for 1,260 yards and 17 touchdowns. The San Francisco 49ers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He also spent five days with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
He made his pro MMA debut at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7, 2023. He earned his UFC contract on Aug. 19, 2025, by stopping Guilherme Uriel in the second round on Dana White’s Contender Series. Hokit then won his official UFC debut on Nov. 8, 2025, finishing Max Gimenis in the first round.
Earlier this year, he beat Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision at UFC 327, landing 177 significant strikes. He then knocked out Derrick Lewis in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. But his behavior outside the cage has drawn scrutiny before.
Right after the Lewis victory, he led to endless chatter by dropping a controversial political conspiracy theory during his post-fight interview, yelling, “Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”
UFC CEO Dana White criticized the remark the next morning, stating he was completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families and calling the stunt “nonsense.”
Hokit now faces Gane in the UFC 334 main event, with Kayla Harrison defending her bantamweight belt against Amanda Nunes in the co-main event. However, White has plenty of concerns about Hokit becoming UFC heavyweight champion, with his verbal antics already making headlines.
