Laced with a sharp tongue and a raw, brutal force, Josh Hokit poses a tremendous threat to Ciryl Gane‘s two-month championship reign. More often than not, the unbeaten contender’s words precede his punches and takedowns. With just a week remaining before they finally collide at Madison Square Garden, Gane can expect Hokit to spew unsavory comments. So how’s he going to react when the challenger’s verbal assault crosses a certain limit?

“Ah, he does what he wants to do; I don’t control it,” Gane said in an interview with RMC Sport Combat. “But no, you can insult me. But my mom, you know you don’t know my mom. What he does to me, it’s only in MMA; it’s always been and (is) actually good.

“There’s not much you can say to attack me; I’m confident in who I am when I look in the mirror. I’m ok the same way. Also, he will want to say that I’m a cheater, etc. Good, it’s all the same. When I look at myself in the mirror, I know I’m not a cheater. I have no problem with that.”

Gane’s comments center on Hokit’s well-earned reputation as a trash talker. Killing two birds with one stone, the American heavyweight gets under his opponents’ skin while also building hype for the fight. However, many observers believe Hokit often crosses the line during his verbal attacks by bringing his rivals’ family members into the exchanges.

The most notable instance occurred during the pre-fight events scheduled for the White House card. While Hokit was scheduled to fight against Derrick Lewis, Alex Pereira faced Gane in the co-main event. Things turned upside down during the fight week.

Hokit called out Pereira and taunted the Brazilian him by calling him a “little short midget.” Hokit claimed he would “devour” the heavyweight debutant. Later, shifting his focus to Pereira’s personal life, Hokit made explicit and disrespectful remarks about the former lightweight champion’s mother.

After stopping Lewis in the second round, Hokit drew intense scrutiny for his comments about former First Lady Michelle Obama.

It may have been the first time Hokit surprised the MMA world by attacking a rival’s family member. Over a short period he has built a career in which trash talk forms an integral part of a highly aggressive approach.

Leading up to their fight at the White House, Hokit taunted Lewis, calling him names, and reportedly released a diss track threatening to “beat him clueless.” He took similar shots at heavyweight prospect Gable Stevenson and his mentor Jon Jones.

Stepping in to face a wild, uncontrollable figure like Hokit could be a novelty for Gane. Removing himself from hostile comments, his rivalries have largely been limited to friendly banter.

Beyond Josh Hokit: When trash talk turns personal

Hokit is not the only MMA personality to have mocked a rival’s family members.

The most striking example unfolded at the UFC press conference in 2017, when Kevin Lee reportedly commented on Michael Chiesa’s mother. Feeling insulted, Chiesa shouted at Lee before lunging across the stage. As the situation escalated, security intervened and separated the fighters.

In boxing, a brawl erupted after Caleb Plant repeatedly called Canelo Alvarez a “motherf**cker” during their face-off. The Mexican star, whose primary language is Spanish, took the literal translation of the word as a direct, deeply offensive insult to his mother.

A brief scuffle ensued as Canelo shoved Plant, who countered with a punch. Canelo dodged the shot and struck Plant, leaving him gashed. Plant later clarified that he did not mean to disrespect Canelo’s mother.