Josh Hokit Reveals Why He Refused Gable Steveson's Handshake

Josh Hokit's bitter relationship with Gable Steveson took a next step when he ran into him at their gym, Jackson-Wink MMA Academy. Hokit has been throwing shade at Steveson ever since the accomplished wrestler made his successful UFC debut in July.

'The Incredible Hok' turned his criticism into mockery when Steveson lost his second UFC bout by a devastating knockout in September. Josh Hokit went on 'The Ariel Helwani Show' and blamed Gable's coach, Jon Jones, for not training him properly. Josh also called Steveson "Raple Sleepeson".

Hokit went further when he made an NSFW remark about Jones and Steveson's relationship while talking to Jorge Masvidal. The American trash talker said, "I gave him a chance to be here and train with me, but he ain’t here. He’s doing his own thing with Jon Jones, and he’s got stretch marks around his mouth"

What Happened When Josh Hokit and Gable Steveson Got Face To Face

Most recently, Josh appeared on Tim Welch's podcast, and when he was asked how he'd react if he ran into Gable or Jon in their gym, Josh revealed that he just did run into Gable and refused to shake hands with him. The 28-year-old expressed his clear enmity towards Gable.

"S**t, it's funny you just said that. I just ran into Gable right now, and he reached out. How dare him, you know what I'm saying? Reaching out your f****ng hand like we're friends. And I said, f**k no, we ain't no friends. You know what I'm saying? And so Greg was right there, so I kept it respectful, you know what I'm saying? But I'm like, don't even look at me, you know what I'm saying? Don't talk to me, don't look at me. And you're lucky I got a fight in two weeks or next week; or it'll be bad for real, you know what I'm saying?"

Tim asked Josh how Gable responded to his antagonism. Josh said, "Nah, that motherf****r's half retarded, you know what I'm saying? He's still talking about good luck and all this other stuff. I'm like, god damn, I'm not your friend, first of all. So I drew the line right there. The audacity of him coming to my gym, you know what I'm saying? This is the first time I actually saw him at Jackson Wink, believe it or not."

After trashing the Olympic gold medalist, Josh also addressed how he'd react if Jones met him and tried to shake his hand. Josh came out with a savage response to that question: " Same thing. I want all the smoke. I'm cancerous, you know what I'm saying? So s**t, he'll get kidnapped by a group of mimes. You know what I'm saying? The things they'll do to him, unspeakable."

Josh Hokit Fights Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 for UFC Heavyweight Championship

This weekend Josh Hokit (10-0-0 MMA, 4-0-0 UFC) has a really big challenge in front of him as he challenges the heavyweight king, Ciryl Gane (14-2-0 MMA, 11-2-0 UFC) for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 334.

This big event will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday. For Hokit, it's the biggest fight of his life; the undefeated 28-year-old is coming off of 2 impressive victories over perennial contenders like Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes. 

Meanwhile, Gane will look to make the first defense of his heavyweight crown. The Frenchman won the interim title when he knocked out Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 and was later promoted to undisputed status when Tom Aspinall vacated his belt.  

Hokit is the center of the attention here, mainly because of his outspoken personality and aggressive fighting style. 

UFC 334 will stream on Paramount+ in the United States.