NEW YORK – Josh Hokit kicked off his UFC 334 media day session in an unserious way. President Trump, Dana White, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, Kayla Harrison, Joaquin Buckley, Dan Miragliotta, and his opponent, Ciryl Gane, all were name-dropped as part of a roughly 5-minute "roast."
After that, he got down to business.
Undefeated Hokit, whose quick rise in the UFC heavyweight division has been aided by a cringey gimmick and many controversial remarks, is on the doorstep of his first title fight as he challenges champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC 334 main event (Parampunt+) Saturday at Madison Square Garden. The massive opportunity comes for Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) after just four octagon appearances in the past year, which includes beating Curtis
Blaydes in a Fight of the Year contender and most recently Derrick Lewis at the White House in June.
The UFC heavyweight division has experienced its share of turmoil in recent years, with Francis Ngannou departing the promotion while he still held the title, then Jon Jones vacating because of retirement before Tom Aspinall vacating while he recovers from severe eye pokes suffered in a fight with Gane, who went on to beat Alex Pereira for the interim belt and was recently promoted to undisputed champ.
Hokit opened up Wednesday about what becoming UFC heavyweight champion would mean to him – seriously.
"It would mean that Gotham is saved, the heavyweight division is saved, the future is born, the past will be put in a casket. That's what I think," Hokit told reporters, including MMA Junkie. "I don't know if the heavyweight division has been cursed for these amount of years, but they haven't had an active champion in a while. So I'm here to give them that. I think that's what it means, where the heavyweight division is saved. I'm going to be an active champion. I think that's why I got this opportunity in the first place – (the UFC knows) how active I'm going to be, with just the amount of fights I've already had in the past year. The money don't sleep, so I can't rest. I'm here to get all the money, all the opportunities, and so I think that's what that means."
In order to beat Gane, many pundits and analysts believe Hokit has to rely on wrestling. The 28-year-old seems to agree.
"I think we're stuck in a game where it's like I throw a strike, and then the other person throws a strike," Hokit said. "I'm not here to play that game, you know what I'm saying? I'm going to do what I need to do. I'm going to dictate the dance, and I'm going to put the pressure, no hesitation. We'll see if he's ready for it."
If victorious, Hokit, considered a smaller heavyweight, already has his sights set on also winning a belt at 205 pounds.
"Once I win the title, yeah, I'm looking for double champ status," Hokit said. "I have a few names on my mind, but they have to win first. We'll see what happens, but I want my name to go down with the greats. This is why I'm doing it. That's legacy."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Josh Hokit: Winning title at UFC 334 would mean 'heavyweight division is saved'
