Alexander Volkov Fires Back at Josh Hokit After Being Called Boring: “He’s Like a Child”
Alexander Volkov has dismissed Josh Hokit’s latest insults, calling the polarizing heavyweight childish for his comments.
After his win at UFC 333, “Drago” appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where Volkov admitted that he's frustrated that Hokit, who has only four UFC fights, was handed a title shot over him.
Alexander Volkov Says Josh Hokit “Thinks Like an Elementary School Kid”
Speaking with Helwani, Volkov discussed Hokit's controversial persona and the 28-year-old getting a title shot despite not having proven himself in the UFC.
“He’s like a child. He thinks like an elementary school kid," Alexander Volkov began. "That’s the kind of answer I would expect from my schoolmates when I first started school. That’s not an argument. He has maybe a grand total of five fights in the organisation, and they give him a title shot. Again, this just defines what the belt means.”
Hokit earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2025 and has gone 4-0 in the UFC since his debut, but has managed to get a title shot with all the trash talk that has made him massively popular but at the same time earned him plenty of haters.
Volkov, on the other hand, has been in the UFC for almost a decade and now has 20 wins in the promotion. He's a clean fighter, has finishes inside the cage, does not engage in controversy, but still has not got a title shot.
The 38-year-old last suffered a loss in December 2024, when he dropped a close and controversial decision to Ciryl Gane at UFC 310. Since then, the Russian has won three straight fights, beating Jailton Almeida, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and Rizvan Kuniev. "Drago" believes he can beat anyone in the division and added:
“I still can beat everyone on the heavyweight roster right now. I can do it easily, with a smile, confidently.”
He also hinted that he would not mind fighting the American himself, suggesting that a fight with Hokit “will be also good, just so I can fun with it.”
Alexander Volkov and Josh Hokit’s Feud Began Over the UFC 334 Title Shot
The feud started brewing in September, when Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight title because of his ongoing eye injury. Thus, Gane, who had won the interim belt by stopping Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June, was promoted to undisputed champion. The UFC then booked him to defend the title against Hokit at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden.
Volkov, then the No. 2-ranked heavyweight, was passed over for the No. 6-ranked Hokit. He then appeared on Helwani’s show and sarcastically “supported” the decision. He said Hokit was “clearly dealing with some mental illness” and called it “very admirable” for the UFC to give a fighter with a “serious mental condition” a title shot ahead of him.
Hokit the very next day fired back on X. He pointed out that Volkov had lost to the last two men he fought against. Derrick Lewis knocked Volkov out at UFC 229 in 2018, and Curtis Blaydes beat him by decision in 2020. He then mocked “Drago’s” fighting style:
“Has anyone ever watched a Volkov fight all the way through? He’s lucky to still be on the roster. Should have cut his boring a* when they cut Almeida.”
Hokit kept the heat going during his own appearance on Helwani’s show, joking that “sleep doctors” prescribe Volkov fights “to people that struggle to sleep.”
Alexander Volkov Still Pushing for a Title Shot
Volkov has not stopped asking for his chance at a title shot. During UFC 333 fight week, he showed up at the pre-fight press conference posing as a reporter. He asked White what it would take to get a title shot.
After beating Kuniev on his 38th birthday, Volkov asked the question again in his octagon interview:
“I have a question for Dana White... What should I do to get a title shot? Answer me, please."
