Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson isn’t concerned about rising contender and former (?) training partner Josh Hokit.
Both men train in Albuquerque, New Mexico and are associated with the famed Jackson-Wink MMA Academy. The full extent of their relationship is unclear, but Steveson admitted a couple days ago that they have shared the mats many times. He also expressed his belief that Hokit was heading to 205-pounds and thus a matchup between the two was unlikely to be an issue.
A couple days later,
Steveson appears a bit more annoying at talking about “The Incredible Hok.” He is the debuting bluechip prospect, after all! While speaking with Jon-Bernard Kairouz, Steveson made it very clear that he doesn’t consider Hokit on his level.
“I’ve never seen him in a bracket that I was in,” Steveson said. “I’ve always been aware of Josh Hokit, because he did wrestle Heavyweight. He went from 197 to Heavyweight and I never saw him in a bracket. I never met him. I never wrestled him. I never even thought about the thought of, ‘Man, what would it be like to wrestle Josh Hokit?’
“If Bo Nickel can go out there and pin you ..? You think Bo Nickal can pin me? Bo Nickal cannot pin me. You know what I would do to Bo Nickal in a wrestling match? I would beat Bo Nickal 10-0 in under a minute … I’m so excited for Josh Hokit to move down to 205. I’m so excited for him to go to 205 and have a great time at 205 and achieve everything he can at 205. Because if he says a heavyweight, I think there’s gonna come a time where someone like myself or someone else will disrupt him before that. I really believe Josh should go to 205. When you mention wrestling, he’s not on the same level as me. When you mention fighting, it’s the same thing.“
For the record, Hokit posted on X just last night that he fully intends to stay at Heavyweight, capture gold, and attained Baddest-Man-on-the-Planet status. Hokit is a lot closer to UFC gold than Steveson at the moment, but it’s not at all impossible that the two are crossing paths in a year or so. Add a bit of bad blood — I cannot imagine Hokit reacting kindly to this statement — and this could have the makings of a major rivalry.
Of course, Steveson has to do his part and live up to the hype. He’s the biggest betting favorite in UFC history tonight at UFC 329 versus Elisha Ellison, and a quick finish in his UFC debut will help push him up the ladder towards top-flight competition like “The Incredible Hok.”
