Strickland is not a fan of Josh
Hokit.
Hokit has quickly risen to stardom in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, cutting pro wrestling-style
promos. “The Incredible Hok” also toes the boundary at times, like
saying Curtis
Blaydes’ parents knew the exact position of coitus to have ugly
offspring.
Strickland, who is known for his controversial trash talk, believes
Hokit’s style is fake and fabricated. Strickland claims he
instantly shuts off clips of Hokit whenever they pop up on his
feed. Strickland is also not a fan of Hokit interviewing random
people on the streets. However, Strickland has nothing personal
against Hokit and even likes him as a person. Strickland further
admits that while he may not like it, Hokit’s style is seemingly
working as it has landed him a spot on the
UFC White House: Freedom 250 card.
“I respect him for doing it,” Strickland said on UFC on Paramount.
“To me, it’s too much. It’s so fake and fabricated. I’ll see a clip
and I’ll shut it right away. I like Josh, I’ve trained with him,
I’ve met him personally. Actually, he is a nice guy. But going and
interviewing people on the street, you’re like an old influencer.
You’re mid 30s, and you’re trying to be an influencer. Stop dude.
Shut the f**k up. Be yourself. Go train. Or don’t, man. I guess
what you’re doing is working. You’re on the White House card.”
Strickland is scheduled to challenge Khamzat
Chimaev for the middleweight title at
UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Meanwhile, the undefeated Hokit (9-0) has three UFC wins, earning
bonuses for all three. The UFC is also apparently backing their
rising star as Hokit earned both the “Fight of the Night” and
“Performance of the Night” bonuses for his unanimous decision win
over Curtis
Blaydes at UFC 327
last month. Hokit was immediately booked against Derrick
Lewis (29-13) for the White House card on June 14 at the behest
of President Donald Trump, who was in attendance.