Sean Strickland took time out from his UFC 328 prep to call out Josh Hokit’s act in the Octagon. He spoke up during a media scrum this week. The former middleweight champ knows Hokit from training sessions.
Josh Hokit sits at 28 years old. He won a decision against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327. That fight put him on the map in heavyweight. Fans spot him for wild pressers and street clips. He dressed as a Mexican gangster at one media day. Some call it cringe. Others say it packs arenas. Hokit even got a note from matchmaker Mick Maynard after beating Blaydes.
Sean Strickland Dumps on Josh Hokit’s Persona
Strickland likes the guy off camera. They swap chill posts online. But the persona bugs him. “Dude, you are a grown a** man bro,” he said speaking to MMA Fighting. You are almost 30 years old, and you’re acting like Jake Paul when he was 13. Like, stop bro. You made it; people know who you are. Just stop, you don’t have to go interview homeless people and be f**king weird dude. Just fight now.” He pointed to street interviews with drunk folks. Those clips hit social feeds hard.
Strickland doubled down. “I think the thing I don’t like about Josh, and again, I’ve met Josh and I’ve trained with Josh, he’s actually a really likable guy. He is a really nice guy. I consider him a friend of mine. We’re full of chill on the gram, but it’s like at some point, dude, you are just, it’s such a fabricated image it reminds you of a WWE skit that I just want to die.”
This comes as UFC 328 heats up. Khamzat Chimaev defends his middleweight belt against Strickland on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark. Old gym mates turned rivals. Chimaev leaked sparring clips this week. Mostly striking trades, no ground work shown. Strickland once told him not to hurt partners in sessions. They’ve traded threats online. Chimaev shrugged off one sh**ting talk. Dana White skipped a faceoff to keep peace. Security ramps up. Strickland eyes the score settle.
