Josh Hokit has remained in the headlines because of his antics since joining the UFC, and it seems that’s not going to change anytime soon. Ahead of UFC White House, the Californian remained animated with his words, going on tirades against Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria, and his opponent, Derrick Lewis. However, Hokit took things up a notch at the UFC White House official weigh-ins earlier today by appearing heavily intoxicated, slurring his words, and throwing up on himself while standing on the scales during the live broadcast.

“So what, maybe I was drinking last night?” Hokit kept mumbling while officials measured his weight on the scales. “Who wouldn’t be? I have a giant black man that wants to knock me out. He has the most knockouts in UFC history… What are you guys looking at?”

Though Hokit made the weight at 231 lbs for the event, the 28-year-old continued his drunken act as he stumbled off the stage after the weigh-ins. However, it was quickly revealed that Hokit wasn’t actually drunk, and that the vomit wasn’t real. It was all part of his ongoing antics ahead of the White House event.

Though many fans found Hokit appearing drunk at the weigh-ins surprising, it wasn’t the first time something like this has happened. At UFC 327 weigh-ins, Hokit broke into an awkward dance that made Octagon girls, particularly Red Della Cruz, uncomfortable. Still, it’s not only the Californian who’s famous for his weigh-in antics.

Two years ago, a similar incident occurred at UFC St. Louis weigh-ins when Joaquin Buckley stumbled onto the stage, clutching the railings tightly, making it appear as though he was drunk. However, it turned out that ‘New Mansa’ was simply taking a humorous jab at fans who believed he wouldn’t be able to make the 170 lbs limit.

Outside of MMA, Ryan Garcia also grabbed headlines after showing up with a bottle of beer during the weigh-ins for his fight with Devin Haney. That said, it remains unclear whether the heavyweight star actually enjoys a few drinks before a fight. However, fighters like Ilia Topuria and Paulo Costa have openly admitted to drinking wine before their weigh-ins, though they never appeared at the weigh-ins drunk.

Now, it’s definitely clear that Josh Hokit didn’t consume alcohol before his weigh-ins and also didn’t actually throw up. However, fans certainly weren’t happy with his supposedly comedic bit. Many called out the UFC heavyweight for his bizarre theatrics.  

Fans thrash Josh Hokit for his antics at the UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins

One fan wrote, “Extremely weird.” Then came another user, writing, “Bro who finds that entertaining holy s–t this dude is weird man.” Echoing the same sentiment, another fan wrote, “It’s downright embarrassing.”

Josh Hokit’s animated character has definitely helped boost both his own popularity among the other heavyweights in the division. However, his over-the-top WWE-inspired character work is something that many in the combat sports community, including Dana White, don’t appreciate. The UFC CEO has admitted multiple times that he is not a “fan” of Hokit’s antics, though White later clarified that the heavyweight’s performances inside the Octagon make up for it.

Even so, the backlash surrounding Hokit’s recent weigh-in controversy continued, with another fan writing, “Who genuinely finds this funny?” Another user believed the Californian’s “cringe” behavior generates attention, and that’s ultimately the goal: “I think thats the point man. Its way easier to be Cringe then charismatic. It still gets him the views.”

Amid the criticism, one fan felt differently. The fan found Hokit’s amusing behavior hilarious and even called him the best thing to happen to the UFC: “I haven’t laughed this much in a long time 😂😂😂😂😂😂 GOATit is the best thing this sport has ever had.”

Following this, another fan brought up an interesting distinction by writing, “Entertaining and funny are 2 different things. He’s hilarious when you laugh at him instead of with him, it’s entertaining how awkward and cringe he makes it sometimes.”

That reaction seems to be the crux of this whole discussion. Hokit certainly draws plenty of criticism from fans because of his overly animated character work. However, he has also managed to build a solid fan base that enjoys watching him bring something extra. Even UFC veteran Dustin Poirier pointed out that he was the real star against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327, and compared him to Conor McGregor playing the role of a heel.

As Josh Hokit hasn’t budged from his usual theatrics ahead of the June 14 event, it will be interesting to see what kind of performance he brings to the fight against a veteran like Derrick Lewis.