By Dana White wasn't initially keen on having Josh Hokit in the UFC title picture.
Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has had a banner year after going 3-0 en route to a title shot. He outlasted Curtis Blaydes in a Fight of the Year contender at UFC 327 then knocked out former title challenger Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250.
UFC CEO White revealed that he may have tried to make Hokit's road to the title a little tougher, but failed.
"Hokit (vs. Gane) was the fight to make," White said on "The Jim Rome Show." "Hokit has been overlooked the entire time, not only by the fans and media, but by me. I didn't like some of the things he said, so I might have threw some tough guys at him, and he passed every test, and here he is. Like him or hate him, he fought his way to the top, and there's no denying that this guy deserves this title shot and belongs there."
Debut: Gimenis/ World Champ jiu jitsu
2nd: Freeman/ World team member wrestler
3rd: Blaydes/ Wrestler, big, cardio/ top 5 for 8 years
4th: Lewis/ Fat Cow Pig https://t.co/4cOJYfM1UT— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) November 5, 2026
Hokit challenges heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in the UFC 334 main event on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York (Paramount+). He is a moderate underdog against Gane.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White admits he didn't like Josh Hokit's antics so 'threw some tough guys' at him
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dana-white-admits-didnt-josh-153037607.html
