Gable Steveson got absolutely ROCKED at UFC 331, suffering a shocking upset knockout to Sean Sharaf less than two weeks ago, and now fellow fighter Josh Hokit is piling on, taking direct aim at Steveson’s training with his mentor, Jon Jones. The Olympic gold medalist had a rough week leading up to that fight, with fans straight-up booing him, and now Hokit is not holding back on why he thinks Steveson went down so hard.
“This Ain’t Wrestling”: Hokit Lights Up Steveson’s Game
It wasn’t just the KO that got Hokit fired up. Steveson, now 4-1 MMA and 1-1 UFC, clearly had some past beef with Hokit, reportedly belittling his wrestling credentials. Hokit, who is undefeated at 10-0 MMA and 4-0 UFC and also trains at Jackson Wink, decided this was the perfect moment to serve up some harsh reality. On “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Hokit didn’t mince words. “That boy Raple Sleepeson, we talking about that guy? That boy Raple Sleepeson, real quick,” Hokit said, dropping the kind of nickname that stings. He added, “Sh*t, he must have watched my fights and been like, ‘This sh*t’s going to be easy.’ This sh*t ain’t sweet. This is a whole different game. He wants to talk about my wrestling and all that other sh*t. This ain’t wrestling, and he had to learn that the hard way.” You gotta respect a guy who calls it like it is, especially when he’s got the undefeated record to back it up.
Is Jon Jones To Blame For Steveson’s Struggles?
But Hokit didn’t stop at Steveson. He dragged Jon Jones right into the mud, questioning the quality of Steveson’s training under the UFC legend. “I heard he’s not practicing properly, and that’s due to Jon Jones,” Hokit claimed. “I heard he’s not even sparring and sh*t. What we doing, gang? This is a whole different sport. You’ve got to start from ground zero. It’s hard for people like that that had that success to start from the building blocks again. He had to learn the hard way.” That’s a brutal assessment, suggesting Steveson’s Olympic wrestling glory might be getting in the way of his MMA development, and Jones isn’t setting him straight. Hokit then really went in on Steveson’s attitude post-fight, saying, “Even him walking out the cage. He’s walking out the cage and smiling, talking to people. Sh*t, if I lose, and if I happen to walk outside the cage, it’s like f*ck everybody. That’s just how I feel as a competitor. He’s over there smiling and still trying to uphold this fake image.” That’s a veteran calling out a rookie for what he sees as a lack of true competitive fire.
Hokit himself, despite not having vast octagon experience, has absolutely exploded into title contention. He outlasted Curtis Blaydes in a Fight of the Year contender and then flat-out knocked out Derrick Lewis, showing exactly the kind of grit he expects from others. He’s now set to challenge Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at UFC 334 in the main event on Nov. 14, live from Madison Square Garden. This isn’t just talk, this is a man who’s proven he can back it up, and now he’s got a belt on the line. It’ll be huge to see if Steveson takes Hokit’s words to heart and figures out if he’s “truly about it” as adversity hits, especially with Hokit fighting for gold in just a few weeks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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