‘I might have’ – Dana White admits he purposefully gave UFC 334 star hard fights after taking dislike to antics
Photo by Vladislav Bychkov on Unsplash
Dana White has admitted that he deliberately set up a series of tough opponents for former college football player‑turned‑heavyweight contender Josh Hokit, citing his dislike of Hokit’s on‑mic antics. During a recent interview on The Jim Rome Show, White said, “Hokit has been overlooked the entire time… I didn’t like some of the things he said, so I might have threw some tough guys at him, and he passed every test, and here he is.”
Hokit’s rapid rise has been fueled by a string of high‑profile victories, most notably a second‑round stoppage of fan favourite Derrick Lewis. The win earned him a title shot after only four fights in the UFC, a meteoric ascent that has drawn both praise and scrutiny. White’s comments were met with an immediate response from Hokit, who posted the interview clip on X and listed the names of the fighters he had faced: Gimenis, Freeman, Blaydes and Lewis.
UFC 334, slated for Madison Square Garden this weekend, will feature a heavyweight title bout between champion Ciryl Gane and Hokit. Gane, who earned his interim title in June with a decisive TKO over Alex Pereira, will make his first defense of the belt after being promoted to full champion following Tom Aspinall’s vacated title. The fight is set to be a marquee event for the promotion, with both fighters having built significant buzz in the lead‑up.
The promotion’s return to the iconic venue adds extra weight to the matchup, and fans are eager to see whether Hokit can maintain his rapid ascent against a seasoned champion. More details on the card and the fighters’ preparations are available at the source.
