“Drago” is happy for “Hok.”
Well, sort of.
Red-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight prospect-turned title challenger Josh Hokit will challenge newly crowned undisputed champion Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 334 on Sat., Nov. 14, 2026, inside iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Choosing Hokit over two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira is understandable. Pereira is coming off a knockout loss to Gane, while Hokit went 4-0 during a sensational rookie campaign that transformed
him from an intriguing prospect into a legitimate title contender.
Far more difficult to explain is why Alexander Volkov was bypassed once again.
Volkov suffered a highly controversial split-decision loss to Gane at UFC 310 in Dec. 2024. UFC CEO Dana White famously told the 6-foot-7 Russian that he had been screwed by the judges and promised to make it right.
Since then, White has made it up to Volkov by booking him against Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. And now, he is scheduled to face Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 next month.
Nevertheless, Volkov insists he is happy to let Hokit go first.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports!, Volkov delivered an extended, completely deadpan attack on Hokit and UFC’s matchmaking.
“I want to be honest with you. I’m very supportive of this fight from the UFC,” Volkov said. “I have a lot of reasons that this fight should happen because Josh Hokit, from what I know about him, is clearly dealing with some mental illness. So, it’s very admirable for UFC to put a guy with a serious mental condition in a title shot.
“Of course he should go in front of me,” Volkov continued. “Guys with this kind of reason should fight first. For him, it’s not possible to beat somebody in the Top 5 right now, so this is the easiest way for an American Heavyweight to get a title shot. It’s an incredibly inspiring story of a guy with mental illness who can fight for the Heavyweight title. I very much support UFC with that. It’s a noble thing for UFC to do for him with his mental problem.”
Subtle, right?
Volkov kept the bit going, arguing that UFC was sending a “powerful message” by giving Hokit the opportunity.
“You can’t laugh about people who have a mental illness,” Volkov said. “UFC sends a powerful message. Mental illness doesn’t have to stop anyone from becoming a world champion. This is very admirable for UFC. And I’m very proud for America that they could have this Heavyweight champion of the world. America will be very proud of a guy with these kinds of problems as champion.”
Beneath all the sarcasm, Volkov’s frustration was obvious. He has competed inside the Octagon for nearly a decade and believes Hokit has been ushered into a championship fight without defeating a Top 5 opponent.
Still, “Drago” claims he is willing to wait a little longer.
“I can do it later. He can try first. I’m here for almost 10 years,” Volkov said. “He just needs a chance right now. I don’t think he’ll have any other opportunity for this. We should make this count for him.”
Before Volkov can demand anything, he must defeat Kuniev at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. Should Volkov and Hokit both win their upcoming fights, the Russian believes their paths should immediately cross.
“Josh Hokit could win, and if he wins and I win mine, I could kick his head off his shoulders,” Volkov said. “It doesn’t matter if he has a mental problem or not. I will do this. For me, if Hokit wins, it will be the best way: America versus Russia. Or if Gane wins, it will be a good trilogy.”
So, yes, Volkov is perfectly “supportive” of Hokit receiving the opportunity first.
He just wants the chance to take his head off afterward.
