Josh Hokit Demands Immediate Title Rematch After 5-Round Slugfest Against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334
After delivering a potential Fight of the Year contender against heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 this past weekend, Josh Hokit came up short but remains determined to pursue his dream of becoming a 265-pound champion.
Josh Hokit pushed an insane pace against Ciryl Gane from the opening bell at UFC 334. He used his wrestling and grappling to put immediate pressure on the heavyweight champion. The American fighter scored a few takedowns, including a big slam in the middle of the octagon.
For the first three rounds, "The Incredible Hok" maintained the same pressure and aggression. He kept eating Gane's jabs and right hooks for breakfast and pressed forward. The Frenchman's strikes did not bother him at all.
However, after 15 minutes, Hokit began to slow down. That is when an already exhausted Gane started to recover and turn the tide. Meanwhile, the challenger still tried everything in his arsenal to land a fight-ending blow and also continued looking for takedowns in the championship rounds.
Having gone all out in the opening minutes, Hokit had very little left in the tank. After 25 minutes of nonstop back-and-forth action, the 29-year-old suffered a unanimous decision loss, marking the first defeat of his professional MMA career.
Josh Hokit Requests UFC Brass For Immediate Rematch With Gane
Despite the setback, Josh Hokit does not want to go back to the drawing board. He wants to run it back with Ciryl Gane right away. Hokit pleaded for a rematch via an Instagram post after the loss and tagged Dana White, Hunter Campbell, and Mick Maynard.
"Immediate rematch please."
Check out Josh Hokit's comments below:
Dana White Comments on If Josh Hokit Will Get A Title Shot: "Okay"
Although Dana White has not yet confirmed whether Josh Hokit will get the title rematch he wants, the UFC CEO was impressed by "The Incredible Hok" for maintaining an incredible pace and showing tremendous heart in his first five-round fight. White, at the post-fight presser, while lauding Hokit and answering whether the latter will get an immediate title rematch, said:
"Okay. Listen, I've had my issues with Hokit. But think about this. It's his first-ever 5-round main event, and he went 5 hard rounds."
Check out Dana White's comments about Josh Hokit below:
