Josh Hokit keeps getting bigger reactions every time he opens his mouth, but Dustin Poirier thinks that only matters because he backed it up at UFC 327. After a loud fight week and a breakout win over Curtis Blaydes, Hokit turned himself from a curiosity into a real name in the division.
That is what Poirier was getting at when he compared Hokit’s formula to the one Conor McGregor used on the way up. Hokit talked big, made people roll their eyes, then went out and won a violent heavyweight fight on a major card. In this sport, that changes everything. It also helps that the UFC quickly booked him against Derrick Lewis for UFC Freedom 250, which tells you the promotion sees the heat too.
F*** respect, it’s a FIGHT… pic.twitter.com/qjVlacf3NT
— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) April 13, 2026
Dustin Poirier sees the same star formula
Poirier said, “When stars start to align, you’ve seen it in Conor (McGregor), when you talk the talk and you walk the walk.”
He added, “You’ve seen it in ‘Suga’ Sean (O’Malley). You’ve seen Chael Sonnen. We’ve seen it time and time again where guys talk the talk and walk the walk, and (Hokit) just did it this week.”
Then he brought the point home.
“He talked a big game and he went out there and put on one of the best heavyweight fights we’ve seen and got his hand raised. Good things happen, you become a star.”
That does not mean Hokit is the next McGregor. It means he hit the same pressure point. If you act like the show before the fight, then deliver when it counts, people pay attention. If you lose, you look ridiculous. If you win, the whole thing suddenly looks magnetic.
Hokit now has more than noise behind him. He has a war with Blaydes, a fast push toward Derrick Lewis, and a surge that already has bigger names talking. Even the damage Blaydes took in that fight reinforced how serious Hokit’s breakout was. And with McGregor still getting dragged into comeback headlines, the comparison is an easy one for people to grab. The difference is that Hokit now has to prove this was the start of something, not just one wild night in Miami.
