Conor McGregor’s return may not have produced the outcome that the UFC, its fans, and much of the MMA community had hoped for. That being said, heavyweight prospect Josh Hokit believes the former two-division champion remains the fighter everyone in the UFC should study when it comes to building interest around an event.
In the aftermath of UFC 329, the heavyweight praised McGregor’s ability to turn fight week into a spectacle unlike anyone else on the roster. Hokit took to X and described the Irishman as the benchmark for entertainment, stating:
“@TheNotoriousMMA is the gold standard in total entertainment on a UFC fight week. Obviously, no one has charisma like him, but we all should get in where we fit in. Its also why I hired his [manager] to be my own. A guy that actually knows the numbers, not some “boxing guy”. My day will come when I have “earned” it. A**es in the seats, eyes on the product. DEMAND = UNDENIABLE.”
Check out Josh Hokit’s X post here:
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The comments arrived just hours after McGregor’s return at UFC 329 ended heartbreakingly. Making his first appearance in more than five years, the Irishman sprinted across the octagon at the opening bell and launched a jumping left roundhouse kick. As he landed, his right knee buckled underneath him.
McGregor slipped to the canvas multiple times before referee Mike Beltran waved off the contest just 69 seconds into the opening round, handing Max Holloway a TKO victory. The former featherweight champion outlanded McGregor 14-5 overall and connected on 12 of his 19 significant strikes, while McGregor failed to land a single significant strike before the stoppage.
Josh Hokit labels Paddy Pimblett’s response to Conor McGregor’s injury as two-faced
Josh Hokit also took issue with Paddy Pimblett’s live reaction to Conor McGregor‘s injury.
Pimblett had repeatedly spoken about being a longtime admirer of McGregor and called it an honor to compete alongside him at UFC 329. After submitting Benoit Saint-Denis in under a minute, though, the Liverpool native declared himself the new face of the UFC while McGregor was still dealing with the aftermath of his injury.
That sequence did not sit well with Hokit, who took to X and wrote:
“Fighters are the most two faced people in the world.. nothing but respect and bow downs to one another when it’s convenient.. and you wonder why I do what I do.”
Check out Josh Hokit’s X post below:
Edited by Abhishek Nambiar