Josh Hokit was cut by two NFL teams. Four years after the second one let him go, he fights Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden, unbeaten, 15 months after his Contender Series win. Here’s who he is, how a wrestler and running back built a heavyweight, and why Dana White can’t stand what comes out of his mouth.
- From: California’s Central Valley: high school in Clovis, now listed out of Bakersfield. He turned 29 on 12 November
- Size: 6 ft 1 in (185 cm), 73.5-inch (187 cm) reach. He weighed 231.4 lb (105 kg) for UFC 334, 11 lb lighter than Gane
- Background: national wrestling champion at six, Fresno State running back and NCAA wrestler, San Francisco 49ers practice squad
- Record before UFC 334: 10-0, 4-0 in the UFC
- Biggest win: stopped Derrick Lewis at the White House, June 2026
- Gym: Jackson-Wink MMA, Albuquerque
- Nickname: The Incredible Hok
Gane vs Hokit: when it is and who’s favourite
UFC 334 is on Saturday 14 November in New York, which is Sunday 15 November in Australia. The main card starts at 9 pm ET, 11 am AEST (noon AEDT), and the main event follows the Kayla Harrison vs Amanda Nunes title fight. Gane is the favourite at -230, Hokit +190 (CBS Sports). We’ll update this page with the result.
Who is Josh Hokit?
Hokit won his first national wrestling title at six (MMA Sucka). At Clovis High School, a wrestling powerhouse, he won the 2016 California state title at 182 lb, then turned down a wrestling scholarship to Drexel because it had no football team (UFCalendar).
At Fresno State he did both. He played running back, with about 1,700 total yards and 17 touchdowns, and wrestled, finishing fifth at the 2019 NCAA Division I championships at 197 lb, where he met future UFC fighter Bo Nickal. He moved up to heavyweight in 2020 and was named a second-team All-American after Covid cancelled the tournament. He also finished a political science degree (UFC.com).
Josh Hokit’s NFL career
He went undrafted in 2020 and signed with the San Francisco 49ers, spending time on their practice squad before being waived in August 2021 (MMA Sucka). The Arizona Cardinals signed him as a fullback on 18 August 2022, on a one-year deal worth US$705,000, and waived him four days later (Spotrac).
Our read: the NFL didn’t want a 6 ft 1 in running back with a wrestler’s build. The UFC heavyweight division did, because nobody there is used to being driven through like a tackling dummy by someone that quick.
From Bellator to a UFC title shot in 15 months
Hokit turned pro without a single amateur fight. He debuted at Bellator 300 in October 2023, submitting Spencer Smith, and Bellator boss Scott Coker gave him the nickname “The Incredible Hok”. Three LFA wins in 2025 got him onto Dana White’s Contender Series, where he stopped Guilherme Uriel on 19 August 2025 and won a UFC contract (UFCalendar).
Then he went 4-0: Max Gimenis, Denzel Freeman, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. He stopped Lewis with strikes at 4:09 of round two at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn (UFC). That took him to No. 4 in the rankings and a title shot 14.8 months after his Contender Series win, the fastest of any Contender Series winner (UFCalendar).
His own summary of the job: “Beating people up for money is fun.”
Why Dana White doesn’t like Josh Hokit
White has never hidden it. After UFC 331 he said: “I literally don’t fucking like anything Josh Hokit says.” In the same breath, he said you don’t have to be liked to do well in the UFC (MMA Sucka).
On the Jim Rome Show this month he went further, and admitted he’d tried to get Hokit beaten: “I didn’t like some of the things he said, so I threw some tough guys at him. And he passed every test, and here he is.” White now calls him “the real deal” (Cageside Press).
The title shot itself was a row. Alex Pereira wanted a rematch with Gane after their controversial finish at UFC Freedom 250, and Alexander Volkov had a case too. White’s answer: “We make fights based on who’s the best in the world, who deserves to be there” (Heavy).
Josh Hokit’s height, weight and reach vs Ciryl Gane
| Josh Hokit | Ciryl Gane | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 29 | 36 |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Reach | 73.5 in (187 cm) | 81 in (206 cm) |
| UFC 334 weigh-in | 231.4 lb (105.0 kg) | 242.6 lb (110.0 kg) |
| Record going in | 10-0 | 14-2, 1 no contest |
| Base | Wrestling, football | Muay Thai, kickboxing |
Hokit gives up three inches of height, 7.5 inches of reach and 11 lb. What he doesn’t give up is speed: he came into the UFC as a running back who could wrestle at 197 lb.
Josh Hokit vs Ciryl Gane: the numbers
Gane went in as the champion, 14-2 with a no contest, after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. Hokit went in 10-0. The bookies had Gane at -230 and Hokit at +190 (CBS Sports). At the weigh-in Gane was 242.6 lb and Hokit 231.4 lb (CBS Sports).
Our read: Gane is a 6 ft 4 in former kickboxer who moves like a middleweight. Hokit’s plan was always going to be the wrestler’s plan: close the distance, take the hits on the way in, and make a bigger man carry his weight for 25 minutes.
What a wrestling and football base builds
Hokit is the case for doing more than one sport. Wrestling built the grip, hip power and gas tank. Football built the acceleration and the habit of running through contact. Neither is about looking big. If you want to train that way without a mat or a team, start with the bodyweight basics in our military calisthenics workout: push-ups, pull-ups, squats and sprints, done for time.
Josh Hokit FAQ
How old is Josh Hokit?
29. He was born on 12 November 1997, two days before UFC 334.
What is Josh Hokit’s record?
He was 10-0 going into UFC 334, including 4-0 in the UFC.
Did Josh Hokit play in the NFL?
He was on the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad after going undrafted in 2020, and briefly signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a fullback in August 2022, but was waived by both.
How tall is Josh Hokit?
6 ft 1 in (185 cm), with a 73.5-inch (187 cm) reach. That’s small for a UFC heavyweight: Ciryl Gane is 6 ft 4 in.
How much does Josh Hokit weigh?
He weighed 231.4 lb (105 kg) for UFC 334. The heavyweight limit is 265 lb (120 kg).
What position did Josh Hokit play?
Running back at Fresno State. The Arizona Cardinals listed him as a fullback.
Where does Josh Hokit train?
At Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
For another fight that blew up this week, see Usman Nurmagomedov jailed for Merab Dvalishvili attack.
Sources: UFCalendar; MMA Sucka; UFC.com, UFC Freedom 250 results; Cageside Press, 5 November 2026; MMA Sucka on Dana White; Heavy; CBS Sports. Checked 15 November 2026.
