Josh Hokit has a plan to make Heavyweight great again.
“The Incredible Hok” may be a controversial figure, but it’s hard to argue that he’s a welcome presence in the division’s largely stagnate title mix. In less than a year on the UFC roster, Hokit has built up a 4-0 record in the promotion, beating a pair of Top 10 opponents in the last three months alone. By smashing going to war with Curtis Blaydes and smacking down Derrick Lewis, Hokit has established himself as a serious title threat.
Unfortunately, the title remains at a standstill. Champion Tom Aspinall has been sidelined for about nine months since his eye poke “No Contest” versus Ciryl Gane, and the timeline on his return remains uncertain (though hopefully moving in the right direction). Gane, meanwhile, just smoked Alex Pereira at the UFC White House (watch here)
Hokit has a bold idea to get the Heavyweight wheel spinning: cut the current champion!
“This crybaby has lost all of his aura,” Hokit wrote on X about Alex Pereira. “Here’s an idea @UFC. Cut Tom [Aspinall]. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyways IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom’s manager is trying to play games. Give me Ciryl in September and when I win I will give [Alex Pereira] a chance to get his self esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ that is down to fight all of the time.”
Is Aspinall’s new manager Eddie Hearn playing games? He was certainly shocked by Aspinall’s current contract, and Hearn would love nothing more than to throw a wrench into UFC CEO Dana White’s day. However, Hearn’s involvement also decreases the odds of the UFC following Hokit’s suggested playbook. If Aspinall were released tomorrow, Hearn would suddenly have the biggest free agent in the sport on his roster! Promotions like MVP would surely pay top dollar to book Aspinall versus somebody like Francis Ngannou.
For now, Hokit will just have to wait for Aspinall vs. Gane 2 like everyone else. In the interim, perhaps Sergei Pavlovich or Alexander Volkov need a dancer partner?
