UFC president Dana White admitted that he has given heavyweight contender Josh Hokit more difficult matchups on purpose.
Hokit takes on UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 334.
While some believe that Hokit shouldn’t have gotten the title shot over Alexander Volkov, White is confident that Hokit deserved the chance to fight for UFC heavyweight gold, while revealing a dirty little secret: that he’s been giving him harder fights on purpose because of his big mouth.
Dana White Speaks on Josh Hokit’s UFC Title Shot
Speaking to Jim Rome, White admitted that he has given Hokit harder fights because he hasn’t been a fan of some of the things he’s said. But Hokit has passed all of White’s tests, which is why he got a title shot.
“Hokit (vs. Gane) was the fight to make. Hokit has been overlooked the entire time, not only by the fans and media, but by me. 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. Like him or hate him, he fought his way to the top, and there’s no denying that this guy deserves this title shot and belongs there,” White said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“I didn’t like some of the things he said, so I might’ve threw some tough guys at him.”
(via @jimrome)
Josh Hokit Underdog Against Ciryl Gane
Against Gane, Hokit is a heavy underdog to win the belt, which makes sense given the stylistic matchup.
As great as Hokit has looked inside the Octagon so far, he has also taken quite a bit of damage, and when you compare the way he fights to Gane, who is very slick and elusive, it’s easy to see why the oddsmakers are favoring Gane to win this fight, as he should be able to stick and move his way to a win.
That being said, just as White said, Hokit has passed every test thrown his way so far, so if he went out there and beat Gane, how could it truly surprise anyone? Say what you want about him, but he’s a heck of a fighter inside the Octagon.
Dana White Admits Giving Josh Hokit Hard UFC Fights on Purpose