Sean Strickland wishes UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit would just drop the persona already.
Hokit (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has been playing two characters, which has left many calling him cringe. But after he outlasted Curtis Blaydes in a double bonus-winning performance at UFC 327, his stock is at an all-time high – so high that he was immediately booked at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House card against Derrick Lewis at the request of President Trump.
Former UFC middleweight champion Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) likes Hokit as a person but urges him to stop putting on an act.
“It’s like, Josh Hokit, dude, you’re a grown-ass man,” Strickland said in a media scrum (h/t Full Send MMA). “You’re like almost 30 years old, and you’re acting like f*cking Jake Paul when he was 13. Stop, bro. You made it. People know who you are. Just stop. You don’t got to go interview homeless people and be f*cking weird.. Just fight now.
“I’ve met Josh, and I’ve trained with Josh. He’s actually a really likable guy. He’s come to the gym. He’s a really nice guy, and I consider him a friend of mine. But at some point, dude, it’s such a fabricated image. It reminds me of like a WWE skit that I just want to die.”
Hokit responded to Strickland’s comments by firing back.
“Let’s fight… I’ll show you the difference between me and Jake Paul…”
Let’s fight… I’ll show you the difference between me and Jake Paul… https://t.co/DiZsjmX7AB
— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) May 5, 2026
“Shawn Strickland, complaining about a persona is like a circus clown complaining about too many balloons. You’re just mad because my WWE skit has better ratings than your personality.”
Shawn Strickland, complaining about a persona is like a circus clown complaining about too many balloons. You’re just mad because my WWE skit has better ratings than your personality. https://t.co/DiZsjmX7AB
— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) May 5, 2026
Strickland challenges middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 328 (Paramount+) main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Strickland rips rising UFC star Josh Hokit’s fake persona