MMA fans urge Sergei Pavlovich to KO Josh Hokit in next UFC fight

Sergei Pavlovich has lately hinted at his eagerness to return to the Octagon as he continues working his way back into title contention in the UFC's proverbial division of giants. 

Pavlovich put forth a social media post a few hours ago, which elicited reactions from several MMA fans, with more than a few urging him to fight Josh Hokit. 

MMA fans suggest that Sergei Pavlovich should fight and beat polarizing UFC star Josh Hokit

Sergei Pavlovich last competed back in May, and many believe that he could be knocking on the door of a title shot with another impressive victory. The Russian combatant clashed against England's Tom Aspinall for the interim UFC heavyweight belt back in 2023, but he fell short via first-round KO and was unable to win the coveted championship. 

Here, in 2026, Pavlovich has consistently maintained that he's en route to finally capturing UFC gold. Taking to his official X handle, the 34-year-old posted a video of himself shadowboxing, alongside a written statement that read: "Where are you all, noisy?" 

Where are you all, noisy? https://t.co/gJy9Cvtjs9

— Sergei Pavlovich (@SPavlovich13) September 12, 2026

Fight fans soon chimed in with their reactions to the same, with a number of them calling upon Pavlovich to take on Josh Hokit and knock the American heavyweight out. One X user simply requested the fan-favorite Russian striking savant to fight soon: "Please come back bro!" 

Meanwhile, another fan seemed to jestingly imply that Pavlovich's written remark in his post didn't make sense: "Sentence makes absolutely no sense." A commenter affirmed, "Please fight and ko Josh Hokit." 

One observer reacted to Pavlovich's post, stating, "We're here big lad! Please humble @Josh_HokitUFC for us." Similarly, multiple fans simply commented that he ought to face Hokit. A comment read: "Fight Hokit!" In the same vein, a fan appeared to jibe at "The Incredible Hok," posting, "Josh Hokit ready to sleep." 

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions, asking Sergei Pavlovich to face Josh Hokit, below: 

The current proximity between Sergei Pavlovich and Josh Hokit in the UFC rankings

As of this time, Sergei Pavlovich stands at the No. 3 position in the UFC heavyweight division, per the official Meta UFC rankings. On the contrary, Josh Hokit holds the No. 6 spot on that list.

Their proximity, per the aforementioned statistics, is considered to be indicative that a potential Pavlovich vs. Hokit clash could be on the cards. However, neither fighter's respective upcoming fight has been officially announced by the UFC. 

Furthermore, while Pavlovich has tasted defeat in his professional MMA career in the past, he's strung together a three-fight win streak, having last knocked out Tallison Teixeira in May. As for Hokit, he's unbeaten as a pro mixed martial artist, with his latest fight being a TKO win over Derrick Lewis in June. 

Incidentally, Tom Aspinall, who'd famously knocked out Pavlovich a few years back, is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. The Englishman has been sidelined due to eye injury issues for several months, but the belief is that he could face interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane in a rematch -- a title unifier, possibly before this year draws to a close.