Hokit leads New York crowd in chants against Gane and flips off Pereira at UFC 334 presser

Josh Hokit commandeered the UFC 334 pre-fight press conference in New York on Wednesday, directing a packed crowd in chants against heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and publicly confronting former two-division champion Alex Pereira — all while dressed in goggles, a neck pad, and a protective cup.

The challenger, who has earned his title shot with just four wins inside the UFC, made no attempt to dial down the theatrics. Leading the room in a chant, Hokit shouted: “I want you to yell at the top of your lungs ‘Fck Ciryl Gane’ on three!” He then turned his attention directly to the champion. “Hey Ciryl, how’s your mom doing? Get on Facetime, I don’t give a fck. This is the champion? Get the f*ck out of here.”

Hokit also addressed the criticism surrounding his rapid path to a title shot. “Fck the division,” he said. “Fck Ciryl Gane. It’s the end of this man’s career. Ciryl Gane, say goodbye to your career.”

UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged he is not a fan of Hokit’s approach but defended the matchmaking decision, backing the challenger to deliver an entertaining fight on Saturday. Hokit, for his part, appeared unbothered by his boss’s reservations. “All the shenanigans aside, I’m the one in this division putting on good fights,” he said.

The press conference took an additional turn when Pereira — a former UFC light heavyweight and middleweight champion — took a seat in the front row. Hokit, who had spent weeks calling out the Brazilian in the lead-up to securing his title shot, immediately stood up and extended his middle finger toward Pereira before addressing him directly. “I’m going to chama on his mama,” Hokit said. “He ain’t going to do shit about it. F*ck you.”

Hokit faces Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Saturday.