NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Hokit might have a second career as a vulgar comic who leans on off-color, crude remarks to provoke shock and laughter.
The problem? He’s not particularly funny.
Case in point, for news conferences before his fights on the White House card and this week in New York for his heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden, Hokit has opened with so-called standup routines that have barely drawn a polite chuckle out of the usually go-along-to-get-along MMA media horde.
Hokit tried an R-word rage-bait routine targeting another fighter and accused members of the press of suffering from brain damage during a 4 1/2-minute performance.
“I'm trying guys, I'm trying," Hokit said to a silent room.
Hokit, of course, marred what was an otherwise successful event in June on the South Lawn of the White House when he won his fight and then made an unfounded attackbased on a right-wing conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama.
What UFC officials hoped would be a victory lap the following Monday turned into a day of putting out fires and responding to requests for comment about the incident.
Hokit has refused to apologize and even doubled down on his comment while promoting this fight.
Hokit fights for the first time since then on Saturday when he challenges heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.
A victory would make Hokit one of the most polarizing champions in the promotion’s recent history.
No fan expects MMA stars to act as choirboys. Jon Jones and Conor McGregor are perhaps the two biggest and most popular stars in UFC history, and each have faced multiple legal issues and a slew of other unsavory accusations over the years.
Yet, they sell out arenas, earn record viewership and have fans constantly clamoring for the next bout when the fighters go years without one.
There's just something so uncouth about Hokit that makes a title reign unpalatable to even his peers in the company.
“I think it’s bad for the sport if Josh Hokit wins,” UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett said on a recent episode of Joe Rogan's podcast. “I hate the acting. I hate the trying to be something you’re not. Just be yourself. Why are you putting this act on?”
The 29-year-old Hokit, who spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad, has reveled in playing the sleazy bad guy as part of his “Incredible Hok” persona. He even tried to get under Gane's skin when he uttered a vulgar Maghrebi Arabic term, also used as French slang, to the champion out of western France during a faceoff in Times Square.
Now that did get a laugh.
“He tried to get in my head,” Gane said. “I just wanted to get out and laugh with my guys because it was so funny.”
Not exactly the reaction Hokit wanted.
What can't be debated is Hokit's run of success since he turned pro in 2023. Hokit joined UFC two years later and is 5-0 (10-0 overall) with wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis — hand-picked by President Donald Trump to fight on the White House card — that propelled him into the first title fight of his professional career.
Gane knows that beyond Hokit’s schtick is an accomplished wrestler and devastating knockout artist waiting to pounce.
“He's a smart guy,” Gane said. “He pretends he's just a clown.”
The 36-year-old Gane lost to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones in previous attempts to win the heavyweight championship. His third attempt ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke to Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall has been on the shelf since the October 2025 fight, and the heavyweight division was in a bit of a holding pattern waiting for his potential comeback. Gane defeated Alex Pereira at the White House and claimed the interim heavyweight title before he was promoted to undisputed champion in November.
“My coach called me, (talked) to me about the training, and said, ‘hey, we forgot, but congrats, bro, you are the champion,’" Gane said. “Nothing special.”
Gane possesses devastating knockout power but combines it with an athleticism rarely seen among heavyweight champions.
He said after years of challenging, his mindset hasn't changed just because he's the champ.
“Yes, today I have the belt,” Gane said. “But at the end, I must win my next fight. That's it.”
Amanda Nunes ended her two-year retirement to try to defeat Kayla Harrison in the co-main event and win the 135-pound championship.
Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female fighter of all time. A UFC Hall of Famer, she held championships in two weight classes, lost only once in 12 UFC championship bouts and defeated the once-indomitable Ronda Rousey. She retired in 2023, citing burnout and a desire to spend more time with her wife as they raised their two young daughters.
“Honestly, after like two years, I was done already to be home,” Nunes said. “I cannot stay without the fighter life. When Kayla signed with UFC, and the division brought in some new girls, that kind of excited me. That's when I really wanted to show I wanted to do this again. Now I'm here."
Stephen Thompson, better known to fight fans as Wonder Boy, is set to have his retirement fight when he fights Charles Radtke in a welterweight bout. He suffered a draw and a loss in his two attempts at winning the welterweight crown. Jim Miller, who holds UFC records for most bouts (47), most total wins (28), and most submission attempts (52) in the promotion’s history, takes on lightweight fighter Terrance McKinney.
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