Josh Hokit calls for drastic UFC move to shake up heavyweight division

The rising contender has suggested removing Tom Aspinall from the title picture, but the UFC is expected to stick with its current championship direction.

Josh Hokit is calling for action to revitalize the heavyweight division. Josh Hokit may be a controversial figure, but he’s still a solid addition to the division’s title picture. In less than a year, Josh Hokit has compiled a 4-0 record in the UFC, defeating two top-10 fighters along the way. He has thus established himself as a legitimate title contender. However, this fight remains on hold. Champion Tom Aspinall remains sidelined due to an eye injury he sustained in a no-contest fight against Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, a specific plan for his comeback is still unclear, even though his condition is slowly improving. Ciryl Gane, on the other hand, decisively defeated Alex Pereira at UFC 250 and is now the interim champion. And that’s where Josh Hokit’s idea comes into play.

"Here's an idea @ufc. Cut Tom. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyways IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom's manager is trying to play games. Give me Ciryl in September and when I win I will give @AlexPereiraUFC a chance to get his self esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ that is down to fight all of the time."

he wrote on X.

While the idea would certainly get the division going again, it’s very unlikely. The UFC would likely not change anything in Tom Aspinall’s contract, as he would otherwise become one of the most valuable free agents ever. They seem to be focusing more on a rematch between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. It remains to be seen how things will ultimately play out, but Josh Hokit’s suggestion is rather unrealistic.

I understand Josh Hokit's suggestion, since he's probably hoping for more, but I don't think something like that could actually happen. It's pretty unlikely that Dana White would let a name like that slip by, and I think he's more focused on organizing a big rematch.