Cain Velasquez is one of the greatest heavyweights to ever compete in the sport of mixed martial arts, and the division, the sport — along with the UFC — has changed quite a bit since he last competed. That includes the rapid rise of Josh Hokit, who gets his first crack at UFC gold this weekend.
Hokit is set to challenge Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 334, which takes place Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hokit has competed four times in the promotion, including a 3-0
run in 2026 featuring a Fight of the Year contender against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April, along with a UFC White House stoppage of Derrick Lewis.
On top of that, Hokit has made waves for some of the comments he’s made about opponents, their family members, and even Michelle Obama that have rubbed folks the wrong way — including UFC CEO Dana White. Velasquez, a former multi-time UFC heavyweight champion, was asked about Hokit’s rise ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
“So Hokit, as far as his fighting ability, he’s definitely proven himself, that he’s well-renowned mixed martial artist,“ Velasquez told MMA Fighting. ”He deserves what he’s getting as far as a title shot, you know? He’s fought those guys to get there.
“And he’s also taking the route, somewhat of a Conor McGregor, to speak in a way that creates tension.”
Gane is coming off a pair of controversial contests in his two most recent bouts. In October 2025 at UFC 321, Gane’s fight with then-champ Tom Aspinall was declared a no-contest after Gane delivered a gnarly eye poke. Aspinall hasn’t competed since, and ended up vacating the title.
“Bon Gamin” went on to face Alex Pereira for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House. Gane got the finish, but shots to the back of the head during the finishing sequence stole some of the lure from the victory. After Aspinall vacated, Gane was promoted to undisputed champ.
Velasquez believes Gane’s title reign will be a short one.
“No, I think Josh is gonna surprise people on [Saturday],” Velasquez explained. “He’s complete, you know? I think way, way more complete than Gane is. So I think Hokit, yeah, is going to surprise a lot of people with the great wrestling, great hands, as you’ve seen.
“When the time comes to fight in a big stage, that’s the hardest part where everybody’s watching. Where you got to go out and do it on this day in this moment. He’s proven that. I see him winning this fight.”
