Josh Hokit threatened Ian Machado Garry’s young son in a post published during UFC 330 fight week, writing that he would “punt” the child if Garry tried to arrange a handshake.
The comment followed a video of Garry comforting his son after Islam Makhachev left their first faceoff near Philadelphia’s Rocky statue. The boy had hoped to meet the UFC welterweight champion and became upset when the opportunity passed.
Garry Promised His Son Another Chance To Meet Makhachev
The video was recorded after Makhachev and Garry met at the Rocky statue. Garry told his son that Makhachev had been rushed through media obligations and promised to help them meet later.
“We’ll see him, we’ll see him tomorrow. Take care. We will see him tomorrow, it’s okay. Leo, we’ll see him tomorrow, it’s okay. He’s gone home now, okay? Later on tomorrow. If you see him, do you want to shake his hand and say hello? Next time? Oh baby, next time. I’m sorry. He was rushed. He didn’t mean that. He was rushed. No, he’s very busy, okay? When you’re the champion, you have a lot of media, okay? You’ve seen how much stuff that he does. He does the same as me. So he comes, he does his work, and then he’s leaving, okay? Do me a favor, okay? I promise you, I will get you to say hello to him, okay? And I’m sure he will say yes, okay? Does that make sense? Love you, okay? They left very quickly.”
Hokit then responded to another post carrying the same clip. His message targeted the child directly.
Valter Walker Condemned Hokit’s Post
UFC heavyweight Valter Walker quoted Hokit’s message and rejected the attempt to frame it as part of a persona. Walker’s post preserved the original wording while adding his own response.
Hokit is 10-0 in professional MMA and has won both of his UFC appearances. Walker is 16-1 and owns five consecutive UFC submission victories. Neither heavyweight is scheduled to compete at UFC 330.
Garry challenges Makhachev for the welterweight championship on Saturday, August 15, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Hokit’s threat and Walker’s reply were public posts; there has been no announced physical confrontation involving the fighters or Garry’s family.
