Josh Hokit reacts to Tom Aspinall suggesting he's waiting for UFC to book rematch against Ciryl Gane

Josh Hokit and reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall have been at loggerheads for a while.

America's Hokit has now reacted to his British rival suggesting that he's waiting for the UFC to book his (Aspinall's) comeback fight against interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. 

Josh Hokit has strongly disapproved of Tom Aspinall's signing with Matchroom Sport and Matchroom Boxing head honcho Eddie Hearn

"The Incredible Hok" has lately lambasted Aspinall for having signed Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as his advisor.

Hokit has consistently indicated that Hearn representing Aspinall, who's an MMA athlete under contract with the UFC organization, is counterintuitive to the Englishman and the UFC. 

He's alluded to the recent war of words between Hearn and Dana White, the latter of whom is the UFC CEO-cum-president and founder of Zuffa Boxing.

Hearn and White have been at odds since Zuffa Boxing's entry into the space of professional boxing promotions several months ago. 

Josh Hokit seeks maiden UFC heavyweight title shot, whereas Tom Aspinall eyes rematch against Ciryl Gane

The undefeated Josh Hokit has risen to the upper echelons of the UFC heavyweight division in a swift and spectacular fashion since his UFC main roster debut last year.

The DWCS (Dana White's Contender Series) alum last competed at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, putting on a dominant showing against perennial heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis and beating him via second-round TKO.

The event also saw Ciryl Gane become a two-time interim UFC heavyweight champ by defeating former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira via second-round TKO. Gane, as such, has positioned himself to rematch Tom Aspinall in a heavyweight title unification matchup next.

Their first encounter saw France's Gane eye-poke Aspinall in their UFC heavyweight championship fight last October, resulting in an NC (No Contest) and forcing the Briton into an eye-injury-induced hiatus. 

Meanwhile, Hokit recently suggested that he'd like the UFC to strip Aspinall of the heavyweight belt due to inactivity. The California-born combatant believes they could book a UFC heavyweight title fight between himself and Gane to determine the division's new ruler. 

Regardless, Aspinall recently announced he's recovered from his eye injury issues and is open to returning to the octagon. Taking to his YouTube channel, Aspinall stated: 

"Listen, we've let the UFC know that we're ready to go. And we're just waiting for dates. And, literally, we told them we can do it in Paris. We told them we can do it wherever they want. So we are just waiting for them to let us know... I'm in the gym, smashing it... We are waiting on them (the UFC)." 

Watch Tom Aspinall comment on his comeback fight below (*comments at the 1:00-minute mark of the video): 

Footage of Aspinall's remarks set MMA fans abuzz with speculation surrounding his imminent title unification matchup against Gane.

Hokit, for his part, took to X and pointed out that Aspinall and his advisor Eddie Hearn seemingly demanding $25 million for his comeback fight was financially unfeasible and indirectly meant that the English fighter doesn't genuinely intend to compete in the UFC. 

Implying that Aspinall is pricing himself out of his potential UFC comeback matchup, Hokit wrote: 

"The real question is if Eddie is asking for $25 M per fight for the lowest producing, non-women champion on the roster? If so, then who cares who "says" they are ready to fight. Its all propaganda to make the @ufc look bad when the fight doesn't get made." 

The real question is if Eddie is asking for $25 M per fight for the lowest producing, non-women champion on the roster? If so, then who cares who "says" they are ready to fight. Its all propaganda to make the @ufc look bad when the fight doesn't get made. https://t.co/0UEYbDUhSv

— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) July 12, 2026