Sean O’Malley has picked his horse for UFC 334, and it’s the guy who threatened to conquer France over an eye poke.
O’Malley wants “to see Josh Hokit win so bad,” MMA Junkie reported Wednesday in a piece breaking down his take on Saturday’s heavyweight title fight between Hokit and Ciryl Gane. MMA Junkie pushed the story out on X as well. Coming from a man who sits at No. 3 at 135 pounds (20-3, Red Hawk Academy) and hasn’t fought since June 14, it’s a fan’s pick more than a technical one, and honestly that’s what makes it fun.
It’s easy to see why the Hokit show appeals to someone like O’Malley. Hokit is 10-0 out of Jackson-Wink MMA and No. 10 in our heavyweight rankings. Before any of this he was an All-American wrestler and a fullback at Fresno State, then spent time with the San Francisco 49ers and, briefly, the Arizona Cardinals. He debuted at Bellator 300 in October 2023 with a third-round arm-triangle, then went through the Legacy Fighting Alliance and Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series on his way to the UFC. Two days before he walks out against Gane, he turns 29.
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And this week he has been loud. Asked by Ariel Helwani how he’d handle any fouls from Gane, Hokit ran a full escalation ladder, starting with “If he pokes my eye, I’m gonna hit him in the back of the head” and ending with “I’m going to France and conquering them.” He and Gane traded words at their first face-off in Times Square on Tuesday. He also slipped straight into character when he ran into Poatan, per a clip shared by Spinnin Backfist.
Daniel Cormier pressed him on whether the act helps or hurts. Hokit didn’t flinch. “You fought Jon Jones for $50K. I’m not going through that. I don’t want anyone to lowball me,” he told Cormier.
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That’s the bet Hokit is making: talk his way into real money, then back it up against one of the slickest movers the division has ever had. O’Malley built his own name on a similar blend of personality and finishing, so him rooting for the kid who refuses to be boring isn’t a shock.
The fight is Saturday, Nov. 14, at UFC 334. If Hokit gets to 11-0 with a belt around his waist, every word of that France speech becomes a highlight package. If Gane picks him apart, Cormier’s question gets a lot louder.
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