Alexander Volkov: Josh Hokit's 'Mental Illness' Landed Him Title Shot

UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov offered a blunt assessment of Josh Hokit's swift rise to a title shot. Following Tom Aspinall's relinquishment of the heavyweight belt, Ciryl Gane was promoted to champion and is slated to face Hokit at UFC 334.

Hokit secured his opportunity with recent victories over Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes in 2026. This placement bypassed established contenders like Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich in the division's rankings.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkov expressed his perspective, questioning the rationale behind Hokit's title contention.

“To be honest, I support this fight from the UFC. I have many reasons this fight should happen because Josh Hokit, from what I know, is clearly dealing with some mental illness. It’s admirable the UFC is putting a guy with a serious mental condition in a title shot,” Volkov stated, referring to Hokit.

“Of course, he should go in front of me. Guys with this kind of reason should fight first. He can’t beat anyone in the Top 5 right now, so this is the easiest way for an American Heavyweight to get a title shot,” Volkov added. “It’s an incredibly inspiring story of a guy with mental illness who can fight for the Heavyweight title. I strongly support the UFC for this. It’s a noble action for the UFC to take for him given his mental problem.”

Volkov himself is coming off consecutive wins against Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida, following a contested loss to Gane at UFC 310.

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English Translation:

UFC heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov shared a unique reaction to Josh Hokit skipping the line for the next title shot.

After Tom Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title earlier this month, matchmakers promoted Ciryl Gane to undisputed champion. Gane is set to fight rising star Josh Hokit in the UFC 334 main event at Madison Square Garden.

Hokit earned the spot after recent wins over Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes in 2026. The polarizing heavyweight bypassed fighters like Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich in the division's pecking order.

After missing out on what many considered a deserved title shot, Volkov suggested that Hokit's unusual narrative might have superseded his actual fighting merit.

Alexander Volkov Comments on Latest Title Shot Snub

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkov offered a sarcastic take on Hokit's title shot, seemingly poking fun at the UFC matchmakers.

“I want to be honest with you. I’m very supportive of this fight from the UFC. I have a lot of reasons that this fight should happen because Josh Hokit, from what I know about him, is clearly dealing with some mental illness. So, it’s very admirable for UFC to put a guy with a serious mental condition in a title shot,” Volkov said of Hokit.

“Of course he should go in front of me. Guys with this kind of reason should fight first. For him, it’s not possible to beat somebody in the Top 5 right now, so this is the easiest way for an American Heavyweight to get a title shot,” Volkov continued. “It’s an incredibly inspiring story of a guy with mental illness who can fight for the Heavyweight title. I very much support UFC with that. It’s a noble thing for UFC to do for him with his mental problem.” (h/t MMA Mania)

Volkov secured consecutive victories over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida after a controversial loss to Gane at UFC 310.