Dana White: I don't like Josh Hokit’s 'shtick' but he earned title shot at UFC 334

UFC president Dana White said he does not like Josh Hokit’s “shtick” but that Hokit has earned his undisputed heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Josh Hokit, who is fifth in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings, is a controversial figure known for adopting personas in interviews to attract attention. He has faced accusations of discrimination after making racially aggravated and misogynistic comments in a post-UFC 324 interview in January and drew further criticism in June for directing misogynistic remarks at former First Lady Michelle Obama. White previously described those comments as "gross", "moronic", and "inappropriate".

Hokit will compete for the heavyweight title despite having made his UFC debut only one year ago; since then he has recorded four wins in the promotion to extend his unbeaten record to 10. Some critics argue he was passed over by other contenders such as Alexander Volkov and contend the shot was granted in part because his remarks generate attention.

White addressed Hokit's behaviour directly while defending his place in the title fight: "You know how I feel about shtick, I don't like them, I don't like his shtick, but for anyone to say he doesn't deserve this fight is crazy," said White. "He earned this fight, that he absolutely did."

Ciryl Gane, the champion, said he believes Hokit deserves the opportunity and acknowledged the commercial value of his outspoken persona. "Honestly he deserves it, he's a great athlete, he's done very well, and he has a big mouth also that is good for the business," said Gane. "This is his character. I understand it, and I'm comfortable with it." Gane is defending the belt for the first time since being upgraded to undisputed heavyweight champion in September when Tom Aspinall vacated the title.

At a news conference promoting UFC 334, Hokit taunted Gane by wearing goggles and an eye patch in reference to Gane’s 2025 fight with Aspinall, which ended in a no-contest after eye-pokes left Aspinall unable to continue; Aspinall later accused Gane of cheating, a charge the Frenchman said was accidental. Gane laughed off much of Hokit’s material and also praised the challenger’s skills, telling BBC Sport: "He's a smart guy, people underestimate him. He's a good fighter also, he's a good wrestler and I think he has a good fight IQ," and adding, "He creates the character and that's smart, this is a business also. But he's not here only because of that that, he's also 10-0 and on a good run."

The card’s co-main event pits Kayla Harrison against Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight title, with Harrison defending for the first time since neck and spinal surgery in January and Nunes returning from retirement after leaving the sport in 2023. Nunes, a former bantamweight and featherweight champion who trained with Harrison at American Top Team before leaving in 2022, traded barbs with Harrison at the news conference: "Look in my eyes. If you don't respect that I can beat you on Saturday, you're not supposed to be a champion," said Nunes. Harrison replied, "I respect everyone, but fear no-one," and White later escorted Harrison away after an intense face-to-face stare-down.

White also criticised an unrelated mass brawl in Abu Dhabi involving Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili that led to 10 arrests, with footage appearing to show Nurmagomedov slap Dvalishvili before fighting broke out between their teams and Abu Dhabi police confirming the arrests. White described the incident as "ridiculous" and "stupid", and called the participants "a bunch of idiots".

Hokit’s challenge for Ciryl Gane’s undisputed heavyweight title is scheduled for UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison defending the women's bantamweight belt against Amanda Nunes on the same card.