Josh Hokit questions Tom Aspinall weakness

Josh Hokit is not waiting politely in the heavyweight queue. The UFC’s newest loud problem has already started taking a scalpel to Tom Aspinall’s game, and his chosen target is the part most opponents usually praise first.

With Aspinall still sidelined by the eye injuries suffered against Ciryl Gane last October, the division has been forced to breathe without its champion. That vacuum has suited Hokit perfectly. The 28-year-old has turned a Dana White’s Contender Series contract into four straight UFC wins, a No. 5 ranking, and the sort of divisive momentum heavyweights rarely manufacture without a belt nearby.

His June knockout of Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 was the career-changing swing. It did not just put a veteran name on his record; it gave “The Incredible Hok” enough credibility to talk about Aspinall, Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira without sounding like a man borrowing somebody else’s spotlight.

Josh Hokit targets Tom Aspinall weakness before UFC title picture clears

Hokit’s read on Aspinall is blunt: the champion attacks so naturally, so quickly and so often that the same instinct can leave a door open. On X, Hokit argued that Aspinall leans too heavily into offense, adding that “His strength is also his weakness.” It is a neat line, but the idea behind it is more serious than the packaging.

Aspinall’s best work has always been built on rare heavyweight speed. He does not plod into exchanges or wait for opponents to give him permission. He takes space, throws with confidence, wrestles when the opening is there, and has made large men look late by a full beat. Hokit is essentially saying that a heavyweight who can match the athletic terms of engagement may be able to punish those entries rather than simply survive them.

Why Hokit’s wrestling and hand speed make the callout less hollow

The obvious caveat is that diagnosing Aspinall from tape is easier than standing across from him. Still, Hokit is not selling a fantasy built only on social media noise. His rise has been tied to fast hands, physical confidence and a wrestling base, which at least gives him a plausible route to test the champion’s rhythm if the matchup ever gets beyond the talking stage.

• Tom Aspinall remains the current UFC heavyweight champion.
• Aspinall has been inactive while dealing with eye injuries from the Ciryl Gane fight last October.
• Josh Hokit is 28, ranked No. 5, and on a four-fight UFC winning streak.
• Hokit knocked out Derrick Lewis in round two at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira shape Hokit’s UFC path

The problem for Hokit is timing. Aspinall’s immediate business is not likely to be the loudest new contender in the room, but Gane, the interim champion tied to the injury controversy and the unfinished business that followed. Gane has expressed interest in the rematch taking place in Paris in September, and Aspinall is supportive of that direction, which leaves Hokit campaigning from the outside for now.

That explains the Alex Pereira angle. Hokit has pushed for Pereira after their exchanges during UFC White House fight week, and the logic is easy to see: beat a star of that size, and the “next contender” debate gets shorter. For the heavyweight division, the stakes are cleaner than the noise around them. Aspinall versus Gane would settle the belt issue, while Hokit against Pereira would either create a fresh title challenger or slow a hype train before it reaches the champion.

Hokit’s critique may be opportunistic, but it is not random. He is aiming at the champion’s pace, not his resume, and trying to convince the audience that athleticism can be met with athleticism. Until Aspinall and Gane are booked or resolved, though, the only hard placement is Hokit’s: No. 5 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.