The future of the UFC Heavyweight division is wide open.
In a division desperate for new blood, the signing of an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight champion is major news. All eyes will be on Gable Steveson at his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut this weekend against Elisha Ellison, which will take place on the UFC 329 prelims this weekend (Sat., July 11, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Just 3-0 as a pro, Steveson has quickly flattened all of his previous opposition, and the odds are historically wide that he’ll remain undefeated at UFC 329. In the last year, we’ve witnessed Josh Hokit rise from the undercard to the UFC White House, winning four fights quickly to climb from unranked to genuine title threat. Steveson appears primed for similar success, and coincidentally, both men train in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
When asked about a potential collision course at the UFC 329 media day, Steveson was plenty opening to facing his occasional training partner, but he also expects that Hokit will drop down to Light Heavyweight before that day comes.
“We’ve been in the same room many times,” Steveson said of Hokit. “Josh is doing a fantastic job of what Josh does and good for him … No, it’s not tough for me to go against Josh Hokit. I honestly heard that Josh Hokit was going to go down to 205 [pounds] from someone. So if he does go down, that would be a great decision for him in the long run.”
For the record, Hokit has made no public comment about dropping down despite much speculation. Given how often he’s called out Alex Pereira for a Heavyweight scrap in the last month, it certainly feels like “The Incredible Hok” intends to stick around his current waters for a bit longer. Historically, Hokit hasn’t been afraid to respond to any and all public comments thrown his way, so it’ll be interesting to see if he addresses Steveson’s remarks in the near future.
In the interim, Steveson has to make a successful UFC debut before worrying about Top Five competition.
