UFC 334: An inside look at Josh Hokit's incredible rise to title challenger in just one year

NEW YORK -- Depending upon the time of day or the number of people present when a microphone is placed in front of unbeaten Josh Hokit, you can expect to hear from one of two sides of the rising heavyweight's contrasting personalities.

There's Josh, the former Division I All-American wrestler from the blue-collar farmland of California's San Joaquin Valley, who walked on in two sports at Fresno State University and went on to sign with two different NFL teams before transitioning to MMA. Josh is a quiet and calculated competitor of the highest degree who is never lacking for confidence.

And then there's "The Incredible Hok."

That guy is an obnoxious handful to most and a growing folk hero to an increasingly vocal minority that can't help but pull up a chair and enjoy Hokit's character-driven journey to command our attention at any cost, regardless of the consequences. This crass version of Hokit has boldly navigated the toxic reality of elite MMA, where those who can disrupt the loudest and keep winning can cut the line in pursuit of the sport's greatest riches.

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Hokit (10-0) has gone from making his UFC debut last November as a little-known trash talker to headlining Madison Square Garden on Saturday against Ciryl Gane (14-2, 1 NC) at UFC 334. And whether his formula for fast-tracking ends with him becoming the heavyweight champion of the world or not, the last 12 months of Hokit's meteoric rise have been staggering to watch.

On Thursday, Hokit turned 29, and he has only been a pro fighter for just over three years. In January, he fought at UFC 324 on the opening bout of the early prelims and just 10 months later -- after co-authoring the craziest fight of 2026 in an April win over Curtis Blaydes and knocking out UFC's all-time KO artist Derrick Lewis at the White House in June -- he's on the verge of legitimate breakout stardom.

This is the type of heater not seen in the UFC since Brock Lesnar won the heavyweight title in 2008 just 287 days after his debut or when Alex Pereira transitioned from kickboxing star to UFC middleweight champion in just 371 days (which, coincidentally, would be the exact amount of time between Hokit's first walk to the Octagon and Saturday's card should he capture the sport's most prestigious title).

"It's no surprise to me," Hokit told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "I keep saying this, but it takes 10 years to make an overnight sensation. So, I have been putting in the work and have been waiting for my opportunity. Every opportunity that the UFC has given me, I have made the most of it, and so now I'm being rewarded for that. We are rewarded by our courage in this life and not our intelligence. And people get that twisted. People will try to have a certain approach, but you need to go for it; you need to put it all on the line. You need to be all or nothing and that's what I'm going for."

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Not all of Hokit's comedic material lands, and much of it overshadows his true ability and the purity of his story of overachievement. But whether you respect Josh the person or loathe the cringier side of "The Incredible Hok" as a character, both have relied upon an insane work ethic and a fierce competitive spirit to get Hokit to where he is today.

Hokit has accepted opportunities against more proven names on short notice and consistently rolled the dice, believing that his fearlessness and aggression could overcome his lack of experience.

So far, Hokit's bet on himself has paid off, as he has openly benefited from being an undersized heavyweight who relies on his athleticism and quick hands to surprise and overwhelm his much larger opponents. But that doesn't mean he believes what he's doing is a template that can be easily replicated.

"If you don't have wrestling, then I wouldn't advise it for a small heavyweight," Hokit said. "At least I have the wrestling in the back pocket, and I think wrestling is the great equalizer. So, I could always fall back on that and make the heavyweights tired. But at the end of the day, it's all about tactics and it's all about strategy. If size always played a factor in the fight, then the elephant would be the king of the jungle."

Hokit's unexpected rise has been aided by the constant chaos surrounding the UFC's heavyweight division, which dates back to Francis Ngannou vacating the title in 2023 to leave the promotion as a free agent. Jon Jones returned from a 3-year layoff to win the title but sat out for more than a year due to injury and ended up retiring again in order to avoid fighting then-interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.

Things only got crazier from there, as accidental eye pokes from Gane in their title bout last year led to Aspinall undergoing multiple surgeries before being forced to vacate the belt two months ago, during a stretch that Hokit calls "unlucky" for the division. Hokit, who is entering his fifth UFC fight in just a 12-month span, believes it's his willingness to be a "rare" active heavyweight that makes him the perfect candidate to save the division.

Hokit, who began his shtick of WWE-inspired theatrics during his post-fight interviews on the regional MMA scene, initially turned just about everyone off. He made multiple tasteless jokes about seemingly unrelated celebrities, including crude remarks about former first lady Michelle Obama that drew public chastising from UFC CEO and president Dana White, and even simulated vomiting on himself while weighing in before the Lewis fight in June.

"I kind of just put my material out there and then it's like, it is what it is," Hokit said. "Whether you like it or not, at least it's something for you to judge because I think that's real important for me. I don't want you to see my name or watch me fight, and then you don't know how you feel about me. I'm just giving everybody a lot to react to. Whether you like it or not, it is what it is."

One month earlier, during a UFC Freedom 250 press conference in Newark, New Jersey, Hokit was ejected by security after his vulgar comments about Ilia Topuria's ex-wife and Alex Pereira's mother nearly sparked fisticuffs with both fighters.

Hokit's act may appear foolish and irrational on the surface, thanks to his blatant disregard for shame, but it's all part of his clever strategy to upset the entire sport in pursuit of clout, and it's hard to argue it isn't working. He even wrote the verses for his new diss track titled "MSG Freestyle," which launched complete with a music video, and took shots at the entire division.

"I'm here to piss people off, No. 1. And I think I'm the shit, No. 2," Hokit said. "So, that's the beauty of this sport, at the end of the day. I'm talking smack, but at least you can do something about it. You could sign the contract and fight me. Shit, if they want to fight me outside, it is what it is. I'm down for all of it. But I think we live in a day and age where people aren't like that anymore. Usually, they will have the opportunity to fight me in the cage in front of the world. We can make some money off of it."

Slowly but surely, however, the court of public opinion within MMA is starting to come around on Hokit, in ways that can be gauged not just by the social media metrics proving that the antihero side of his polarizing personality is rapidly becoming appealing to fans, but also by how many current and former UFC fighters are now openly praising him.

From Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen and Robert Whittaker to Sean O'Malley, Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier, all of them seem to have endured the same trajectory as many fans. They initially loathed Hokit before eventually coming around to realizing the method to his madness and realizing just how much excitement he brings to the division and the sport.

"It's a crazy trajectory [Hokit] has been on," Poirier, the retired UFC star and current Paramount+ analyst, told CBS Sports on Monday. "He's walking the walk and talking the talk. When you do that, you become a superstar in this sport. I've said it over and over again. We have seen Paddy [Pimblett], we have seen Chael, we have seen Conor [McGregor]. When you do that, you become a superstar. You just have to keep winning."

Even Gane, who has found himself as the punchline of multiple Hokit zingers entering Saturday, didn't hesitate to share the respect he has for him.

"As a man, [I respect him] because I know he likes to pretend that he's dark [but] this is a role, I'm pretty sure," Gane told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "And [I respect him] as a fighter; also, he did very well, 10-0, against good fighters. But he has less experience. This reminds me of when I started, a little bit. You have less experience and maybe you are less technical on the wrestling or the striking game, but you manage very well and you win the fight at the end. So, that means he has a good fight IQ."

Hokit doesn't see himself as a hero or a villain when it comes to the multiple personas he has crafted. Love him or hate him, as long as you feel something, he has done his job.

"I'm whatever the UFC needs. Whatever I am, the UFC needs it," Hokit said. "I just look at it as entertainment."

One year ago, almost no one in MMA was talking about Josh Hokit. But on Saturday, in the same building that has been a cathedral of combat sports where former heavyweight champions like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jon Jones have enjoyed some of the biggest moments of their careers, "The Incredible Hok" has the same opportunity to forever link his name with history.

"When you got the game upside down, full nelsoned and face on pavement, this is where I belong at the end of the day," Hokit said. "You named all those legends, and I see myself as a living legend already. My third fight in the UFC was a Hall of Fame fight, a legendary fight. So, I believe I've earned this. I've earned a chance to compete here, and I want my name to be with them."