Josh Hokit’s performance at UFC 327 a couple of months ago not only got him a spot at the White House, but it completely turned Dana White in the process.
The UFC CEO admitted he wasn’t a fan of Hokit’s persona heading into his biggest fight to date with Curtis Blaydes in April, but after delivering one of the all-time great heavyweight bouts, White said he was done giving Hokit any grief.
“I’m one of them [that doesn’t like his character],” White said at the UFC 327 post-fight press conference. “He walked the talk tonight. When people come out and say stupid shit and have sort of a schtick, it’s not my thing. But nothing but respect for both of those men tonight.
“That fight was unbelievable. You won’t hear a word out of me from here on out about him. Like I said, he walked the talk.”
Ahead of his fight with Derrick Lewis at UFC White House, the 28-year-old rising star was asked about White’s change of heart towards him.
“Now, would Dana want it… and I’m grateful for the UFC, I mean, for even giving me that opportunity. Wow,” Hokit told MMA Fighting. “When I shake their hand, I’m like, thank you for this opportunity, I’m going to make the most of it, and you could even ask them before, the Curtis Blaydes face-off, I’m like, I’m going to make the most of it, just watch.
“But it’s like, would you rather me talk a normal big game, ‘Oh, we’re going to go to war, we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that.’ Normal answers, normal person, and then I could give you a shit show of a fight, you know what I’m saying? So it’s like, what’s important here?”
Hokit has used multiple characters throughout his fight builds since signing with the UFC after an undefeated run with Bellator and LFA. “The Incredible Hok” has been on a rocket ship in the heavyweight division during his 3-0 run with the promotion, including three post-fight bonuses.
While some people may not like Hokit’s style on the microphone, he’s wondering why other fighters don’t aren’t doing the same.
“I think MMA fighters are getting too caught up in, being the macho man or the stoicism, and the polite guy,” Hokit said. “I don’t know what’s going on in their mind. I just think they’re lazy and they don’t want to put themselves out there and put things on the line, put pressure on themselves. So they kind of go into a shell.
“But yeah, I mean, think about what you really want. I’m looking to go out there and make it a fight.”
Hokit looks to make another big statement at the historic card on the South Lawn as he faces Lewis, the UFC’s all-time knockout leader. “The Black Beast” looks to bounce back from a lopsided stoppage loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at January’s UFC 324 event.
For Hokit, he knows there’s no gray area with him — either you believe he’s cringy, or you give him credit for trying. The latter is much more important for Hokit, and he feels it should be the same sentiment for his fellow athletes.
“Yeah, like give something,” Hokit explained. “What comes to mind is the Batman quote, ‘You die a hero or live long enough to see yourself as a villain.’ So I mean, I guess, if I didn’t say anything and I gave you that fight, hopefully I just died that night, and then maybe I’ll die a hero. Because I’m going to be in this game for a long time, and it’s always going to be something that you don’t like the more I put myself out there.
“So I’m making it easy for everybody. How about you guys just don’t like me and just tune in though.”
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