Matt Brown backs Hokit's UFC 334 title shot but names Volkov as true deserving contender

Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown has thrown his support behind Josh Hokit’s controversial path to a heavyweight title shot at UFC 334, but acknowledged that Alexander Volkov is the more deserving contender on fighting credentials alone.

Hokit, 28, will challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title in the UFC 334 main event in November — a remarkable position given he has just four UFC fights on his record. Three of those wins came by finish, and his battle with Curtis Blaydes earned widespread Fight of the Year recognition. But Brown, speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer, was candid that Hokit’s ascent owes as much to his polarising personality as it does to his performances inside the cage.

“My only argument against the whole thing — I think [Alexander] Volkov deserves it more,” Brown said. “I think he’s probably the deserving guy right now to get the title shot.”

Despite that reservation, Brown argued that fighters like Hokit serve a genuine purpose for the sport’s broader appeal. Even UFC CEO Dana White has publicly distanced himself from Hokit’s antics, a dynamic Brown believes is part of what makes the heavyweight compelling viewing.

“You’ve got to have guys that you don’t like,” Brown said. “That’s what makes it all the more interesting is [some people] or Dana [White] don’t f*cking like him, and he’s playing into that. He’s doing shit specifically so that certain people do not like him. It’s working. I think it’s a good thing for the sport.”

Brown drew a parallel with Conor McGregor, widely regarded as one of the finest trash talkers in combat sports history, as a cautionary tale about the limits of provocation. He noted that McGregor’s comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s family and religion, and later remarks about Dustin Poirier’s wife, eventually began to erode goodwill even among supporters.

“As long as [he doesn’t go too far], like Conor went too far,” Brown said. “Over time he evolved, and it became less original. You’ve got to one-up yourself all the time. As he one-upped himself, it went too far.”

Hokit’s post-fight comments at UFC White House in June, which included a reference to Michelle Obama, have already drawn criticism, and Brown suggested that particular direction carries real risk.

“A lot of people would argue [Hokit] started to cross the line when he talked about Michelle Obama,” Brown said. “If he keeps going down that line, then it might really start actually turning people off. Right now, he’s at that threshold where he’s pissing us off but not really hurting anything. Some people are annoyed by it, but we’re watching. That’s what’s important.”

Hokit’s title shot against Gane underlines a reality Brown did not shy away from: in the UFC’s current landscape, generating attention can matter as much as accumulating wins when it comes to earning a shot at gold.