Matt Brown thinks Josh Hokit is good for the UFC, even if Alexander Volkov deserved the title shot more.
Hokit (10-0) challenges heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC 334 main event on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden. Gane was elevated to undisputed champion when Tom Aspinall vacated the belt due to an eye injury.
The 28-year-old has only four UFC fights, but he has won all four and finished three. His run includes a decision over Curtis Blaydes in April and a second-round TKO of Derrick Lewis at the White House in June.
His trash talk has drawn just as much attention. Dana White has said he is not a fan of Hokit’s antics.
Speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer, Brown said fighters like Hokit serve a purpose.
You’ve got to have guys that you don’t like. That’s what makes it all the more interesting is [some people] or Dana [White] don’t f—-ing like him, and he’s playing into that.
He’s doing s—- specifically so that certain people do not like him. It’s working. I think it’s a good thing for the sport.
Brown warned Hokit not to push too far, pointing to Conor McGregor.
Like Conor [McGregor] went too far. 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.
He said some fans feel Hokit already crossed the line with his comments about former first lady Michelle Obama in his post-fight interview at the White House.
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 p—-ing us off but not really hurting anything.
Still, Brown named a contender he sees as more deserving.
I think [Alexander] Volkov deserves it more. I think he’s probably the deserving guy right now to get the title shot over Hokit. Hokit is getting it based off his mouth and based off his antics.
Volkov has won two straight, beating Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Brown accepted the UFC’s call anyway.
It’s entertainment, not sport; don’t forget that.
