Unbeaten Hokit dismantles Volkov's résumé and vows to dominate light heavyweight after UFC title shot

Josh Hokit has responded sharply to Alexander Volkov’s public dismissal of his credentials, telling the Russian heavyweight he will “never get the chance” to prove his prediction right ahead of Hokit’s UFC heavyweight title challenge against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 on 14 November at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Volkov had declared Hokit an easy matchup and backed Gane to defeat the unbeaten American contender. Hokit, who carries a perfect 10-0 record into the championship fight, wasted little time in turning the criticism back on Volkov by drawing a direct line through their respective résumés.

“Volkov saying he’d beat me easy is funny… He’ll never get the chance,” Hokit wrote on X. “I just beat Blaydes and Lewis. Volkov lost to BOTH. Now he’s fighting Kuniev (who Blaydes beat), after squeaking by Almeida (who Blaydes dominated). I’m going to kill Ciryl, who he lost to twice. Zero finishes, pure boring. By the time you earn a fight with me, I’ll already be dominating LH.”

The argument carries statistical weight. Hokit’s recent wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis — two of the division’s most established names — contrast with Volkov’s losses to both men. Volkov, nicknamed “Drago”, is coming off back-to-back decisions over Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta and is booked to face Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 on 24 October in Abu Dhabi. Hokit noted that Blaydes also defeated both Almeida and Kuniev, further reinforcing his point about the gap in their respective paths through the division.

Perhaps the most striking element of Hokit’s response was the suggestion that he intends to move to light heavyweight after his title campaign at heavyweight — implying he views the 265-pound division as a temporary stop rather than a long-term home. Whether that is genuine ambition or calculated trash talk ahead of UFC 334, it signals a fighter who sees himself operating well above Volkov’s current standing in the rankings.

Gane, meanwhile, holds two previous victories over Volkov, a detail Hokit was quick to weaponise. The Frenchman enters the fight as the more experienced championship-level competitor, but Hokit’s unbeaten record and the momentum built through wins over Lewis and Blaydes have established him as a credible challenger heading into the Madison Square Garden main event.