Steveson dismisses Hokit's trash talk after dominant UFC 329 heavyweight debut

Gable Steveson wasted little time announcing himself at UFC 329, finishing Elisha Ellison inside a round at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas — and he was equally composed when asked about the heavyweight division’s loudest rival prospect, Josh Hokit.

Hokit, a top-10 ranked heavyweight who has built his ranking in just four UFC fights, had fired back at Steveson on social media after comments the Olympic wrestling champion made in a recent interview. “Remember, this ain’t wrestling,” Hokit wrote. “If anyone signs up to face me in a fist fight, better have a good insurance policy. It will take your doctor time to put your face back together, unless you quit like the last guy I fought. This includes the guy [Jon Jones] that trains you. I’m the baddest man on the planet.”

Hokit also called on the UFC to book him against interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, claiming he would “clear this whole division out by the end of 2027.”

Steveson, speaking after his debut victory, was measured in his reply. “I like Josh as a fighter,” he said. “Josh is a character. Josh wants to make sure people follow him on Instagram or follow him on Twitter. I go out there and dominate. I go out there and win. So if the time comes with Josh, if he doesn’t move down before that, so be it — will make it happen.”

On Hokit’s provocative persona, Steveson offered only a dry acknowledgement: “He does a great job, good for him.”

Steveson’s immediate ambitions, however, appear to stretch well beyond Hokit. He was also asked about Gane, who claimed the interim heavyweight title with a knockout of former two-division champion Alex Pereira at UFC White House, with undisputed champion Tom Aspinall’s return from injury still unconfirmed.

“Ciryl Gane’s a great fighter, a fantastic fighter — he’s one of my favorite fighters in the heavyweight division,” Steveson said. “Of course, he’s a target. He has something that a lot of people want, but today I’ll take my win. Ciryl Gane is in the foreseeable future, but he’s not in the next fight, and I’ll worry about the next fight and then after that, I’ll worry about the next one.”

For his next outing, Steveson said he hopes the call comes for Madison Square Garden, though he made clear he will return to the gym on Monday regardless of what matchup materialises.