NEW YORK, Depending on when you catch Josh Hokit with a microphone in front of him, you may get one of two very different people. There is Josh, the quiet and calculated 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 and signed with two NFL teams before turning to MMA. And then there is "The Incredible Hok," an obnoxious, crass character who has become a folk hero to a growing corner of the fan base.
That second persona has helped Hokit (10-0) go 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. Whether or not the fast track ends with him holding the heavyweight title, the past 12 months have been staggering.
Hokit turned 29 on Thursday and has been a professional fighter for just over three years. In January, he fought in the opening bout of the early prelims at UFC 324. Ten months later, after an April win over Curtis Blaydes that some called the craziest fight of 2026 and a June knockout of Derrick Lewis at the White House, he is on the verge of breakout stardom.
The run draws comparisons to Brock Lesnar, who won the heavyweight title in 2008 just 287 days after his debut, and Alex Pereira, who went from kickboxing star to UFC middleweight champion in 371 days, the same span that will sit between Hokit's first Octagon walk and Saturday's card if he wins the belt. "It's no surprise to me," Hokit told CBS Sports on Tuesday. "It takes 10 years to make an overnight sensation. Every opportunity that the UFC has given me, I have made the most of it. We are rewarded by our courage in this life and not our intelligence."
Hokit has repeatedly accepted fights against more proven names on short notice, betting that his fearlessness and aggression would make up for his inexperience. The undersized heavyweight has used athleticism and quick hands to overwhelm bigger opponents, but he does not see his path as one others should copy. "If you don't have wrestling, then I wouldn't advise it for a small heavyweight," he said. "Wrestling is the great equalizer. If size always played a factor in the fight, then the elephant would be the king of the jungle."
His rise has been aided by chaos in the heavyweight division, stretching back to Francis Ngannou vacating the title in 2023 and leaving as a free agent. Jon Jones returned from a three-year layoff to win the belt, then sat out more than a year injured before retiring again rather than face interim champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall later suffered accidental eye pokes from Gane in their title bout last year, underwent multiple surgeries and vacated the belt two months ago. Hokit, fighting for the fifth time in 12 months, believes his willingness to stay active makes him the man to rescue the division.
Hokit's WWE-style theatrics, which began on the regional scene, initially turned nearly everyone off. He made crude remarks about Michelle Obama that drew public criticism from UFC CEO Dana White, simulated vomiting at the weigh-in before the Lewis fight, and was ejected by security from a press conference in Newark after vulgar comments about Ilia Topuria's ex-wife and Alex Pereira's mother nearly sparked fights with both men. He also released a diss track, "MSG Freestyle," taking shots at the entire division.
Yet public opinion is shifting. Fighters and analysts from Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen to Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier have moved from loathing Hokit to praising him. "He's walking the walk and talking the talk. When you do that, you become a superstar in this sport," Poirier told CBS Sports. Even Gane, the target of many of Hokit's jokes, offered respect: "He did very well, 10-0, against good fighters. He has a good fight IQ."
Hokit says he is neither hero nor villain, only what the UFC needs, and views it all as entertainment. On Saturday, in the same building where Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Jon Jones made history, he has the chance to join them. "I see myself as a living legend already," he said. "I believe I've earned this. I want my name to be with them."
