Josh Hokit gets pepper sprayed to mock Gane ahead of UFC 334
The unbeaten challenger took a blast to the eyes in a dig at the eye poke that ended Tom Aspinall’s title run
Josh Hokit, the No. 4 heavyweight in the UFC, posted a video this weekend of himself taking pepper spray to the eyes before hitting pads. The jab is aimed at champion Ciryl Gane, whom he fights for the heavyweight title on Nov. 14 at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The target of the joke is obvious: the eye pokes that have followed the Frenchman recently. The most famous one ended his fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi as a no contest and left the Englishman with the eye injury that eventually cost him the belt.
Hokit’s pepper spray video
In the clip, shared on Hokit’s X account and widely reposted by MMA pages, the American stands inside an Octagon fence and takes a blast to the face. He then goes straight into a round of punches on the pads held by his training partner.
He sounded surprised. “I actually got pepper sprayed,” Hokit said. “It actually f*cking burns. I thought this sh*t was fake.”
It is unclear whether the spray was real or a prop used for the bit. As of Sunday night, Gane had not responded publicly.
Gane’s eye pokes and Aspinall’s exit
The Gane vs. Aspinall fight last year ended after a double eye poke from the Frenchman left the Englishman unable to continue. Aspinall went through a long recovery and, unable to return, vacated the title.
That move elevated Gane from interim to undisputed champion. He won the interim belt in June by knocking out Brazil’s Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, the card held at the White House.
In New York, Gane, who holds 14 wins and two losses, makes his first defense of the undisputed title. For Hokit, it is the first title shot of his career.
Who is Josh Hokit, the unbeaten challenger
Hokit is 28 and undefeated at 10-0, with six knockouts, three submissions and one decision. He earned his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2025 and has won four straight in the UFC.
The first was a 56-second knockout of Max Gimenis in November 2025. Then came Denzel Freeman, Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision at UFC 327, a fight that earned him two bonuses, and Derrick Lewis by second-round TKO on the White House card.
His résumé outside MMA stands out too. Hokit was an All-American wrestler and a running back at Fresno State, and he spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad in 2020 and 2021.
The debate over Gane vs. Hokit
Hokit has been trolling Gane since the fight was announced in September. The matchup also drew fire from Brazil: Alex Pereira accused the UFC of manipulating fans to book Gane vs. Hokit, a claim denied by Dana White and Daniel Cormier.
UFC 334 is co-headlined by Kayla Harrison defending her bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes, who says she won’t retire again if she wins and returns after more than three years away.
Is Hokit’s trolling fair game, or did he cross the line? And who leaves New York with the heavyweight title? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- Alex Pereira accuses UFC of manipulating fans to book Gane vs. Hokit
- Alex Pereira claim denied by Dana White and Daniel Cormier
- Amanda Nunes won’t retire again if she beats Kayla Harrison
