Since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last August, UFC fans – for better or worse – have become all too familiar with Josh Hokit’s characters, “The Incredible Hok” and “Down Vato,” whenever he’s in front of a microphone.
But in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio ahead of UFC Freedom 250, neither of those cringey altered egos made an appearance. He was just … Josh Hokit, a former aspiring NFL player signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2020, who never played a down in a game, and is now an undefeated UFC heavyweight on the rise.
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Thirteen months ago, Hokit was competing in developmental promotion LFA. Next week on June 14, he will fight Derrick Lewis on the South Lawn of the White House at UFC Freedom 250 at the behest of President Trump. If you’ll allow Hokit to be serious for a moment, he reflected on his road to this historic moment.
“Think about three fights, four bonuses? I don’t know who’s had a better rookie run in the history of UFC fighting,” Hokit said, speaking like his normal self and not with a goofy voice. “That’s interesting to think about. Everyone talks about Brock Lesnar, but he already had the name and just kind of skipped the line because of that. But starting from ground f*cking zero, I think my run is up there with I don’t even know who I could compare it to. But three fights, four bonuses – sheesh.”
In those three UFC appearances, Hokit TKO’d no-names Max Gimenis and Denzel Freeman before battling his way to a huge upset unanimous decision win over perennial contender Curtis Blaydes in a rock ’em-sock ’em Fight of the Night at UFC 327. It was immediately after that victory that Trump told Dana White he wanted Hokit on the card.
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While Hokit’s early UFC run has been impressive, it’s also been overlooked given his commitment to those “Incredible Hok” and “Down Vato” characters that nobody takes seriously.
But they get a rise out of viewers – and even the likes of Ilia Topuria at last month’s UFC Freedom 250 press conference. And that’s the point. Whether he’s connecting with fans or not, all Hokit cares about is that they pay attention.
“Connect or disconnect. I think I’m on the disconnect side. I really disconnect with the fans,” Hokit said. “That’s an interesting choice of words. It’s in our human nature to connect with people. People don’t even want to take it to the other side. Me? I don’t mind it too much as long as (the UFC is) giving me certain fights and paying me a certain amount of money. I mean, everyone could hate me for all that I care. Just get the money, and one day I won’t have to be bothering anybody anymore. I’ll just be on a lake somewhere, on a boat not bothering anybody. Until then, I’m gonna be really disconnecting with people.
“Maybe that’s a mind shift for some up-and-coming fighters, that they need to stop worrying about being so cool and liked. I think you see the most popular guys, and you kind of want to be like them, and they’re kind of like the cool person – Conor McGregor, Chael Sonnen. But those guys are like one of one, you know what I’m saying? You set the bar way too high for yourself. There’s other emotions you can kind of trigger if you’re willing to have the courage to put yourself out there. You kind of have to be comfortable with yourself. I mean, most importantly you have to train hard and win these fights. If you don’t, none of this sh*t matters.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC White House: Josh Hokit gets serious – at least for one interview
