Josh Hokit Throws Gimmick Away to Support Sean Strickland Despite Criticism from UFC 328 Title Challenger
Josh Hokit has shown support for Sean Strickland in his upcoming title fight against Khamzat Chimaev, but refuse to rule out a future bout.
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Josh Hokit shows his support for Sean Strickland [via X and Yahoo Sports]
- Josh Hokit has declared his support for Sean Strickland despite criticism from the middleweight title challenger.
- Strickland criticized Hokit for his controversial behavior at the UFC Freedom 250 press conference.
- Hokit continues to embrace his gimmick, which has garnered both support and criticism within the UFC community.
Josh Hokit is one of the most divisive heavyweights on the UFC roster. His larger-than-life ‘Incredible Hok’ character has been equally met with praise and criticism. UFC middleweight title challenger Sean Strickland placed himself among the critics with his recent X post about the heavyweight. Even so, Hokit has declared his support for the former middleweight champion in the upcoming UFC 328 main event.
Josh Hokit recently incited chaos at the UFC Freedom 250 press conference in Newark. After spending the whole press conference dropping rhymes and his “Am I right?” catchphrase, the American heavyweight targeted Alex Pereira. Hokit laid down some of his signature rhyming trash talk at first, but then he brought up Poatan’s mother.
This didn’t sit well with Ilia Topuria, who snapped at Hokit before throwing a plastic glass at him. The heavyweight was escorted out by security, but not before he could joke about Topuria’s ex-wife as well. Involving family members in trash talk has always been a UFC taboo, and it is also Sean Strickland’s gripe with Josh Hokit.
The former middleweight champion struck out at Josh Hokit on X for his actions at the press conference, calling him out for going “too far.” The American heavyweight has responded to Strickland by rooting for him at UFC 328 and offering him a fight when the dust settles.
Can you really not see yourself? lol. You seem oblivious to the things you say….With that being said, do it for our people tomorrow….And when the dust settles, if you want it, I’ll definitely give it to you. Make BMF Great Again!
Josh Hokit via X
Josh Hokit responded to Sean Strickland:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 8, 2026
"Can you really not see yourself? lol. You seem oblivious to the things you say." 😬 https://t.co/tE5FICgMDa pic.twitter.com/WAd0eBPWY7
Hokit and Strickland have known each other for a while, according to Strickland. ‘Tarzan’ called the outspoken heavyweight a “nice guy” in the replies of his X post, where he called out Hokit. Given this familiarity, the former middleweight champion had some advice for his “friend”.
Sean Strickland wants Josh Hokit to drop his “fabricated image”
Josh Hokit has had run-ins with several UFC fighters since his meteoric rise following UFC 327. Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira joined a club that already included light heavyweights Paulo Costa and Jiri Prochazka, who didn’t even know who Hokit was. However, it doesn’t seem as if Sean Strickland belongs to that club.
After Hokit’s show of support to the former middleweight champion, it seems there is no real animosity between the two. Moreover, a couple of days ago, during a UFC 328 media scrum, Strickland actually had some advice for Hokit, whom he considers a friend.
Josh Hokit, dude, you’re a grown man. you’re like almost 30 years old, and you’re acting like Jake Paul when he was 13. Stop, bro…You don’t gotta go interview homeless people and be weird. Just fight now. I’ve met Josh and trained with Josh. He’s actually a really likable guy. He’s a really nice guy, and I consider him a friend of mine. But at some point, dude, it’s such a fabricated image. It reminds me of a WWE skit…
Sean Strickland via UFC 328 media scrum
Sean Strickland’s recent response to Hokit’s actions on X line up with his views from earlier. It appears he simply wants Josh Hokit to be authentic, a lack of which has been a criticism of the undefeated heavyweight. However, UFC legends like Chael Sonnen and Dustin Poirier have actually encouraged ‘The Incredible Hok’ to carry on what he has already been doing.
From his antics at the press conference, it is clear that Josh Hokit has not abandoned the gimmick he has chosen. After all, it lent him enough momentum to land a spot on the UFC White House card. So, it is likely fans will be seeing a lot more of ‘The Incredible Hok’ with the UFC Freedom 250 card on the horizon.
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