Josh Hokit has spent months establishing himself as one of the UFC’s loudest personalities. Still, at the first official UFC Freedom 250 press conference, he may have finally crossed the line from showman to absolute chaos. On a stage packed with champions, contenders, and cameras, the 28-year-old heavyweight prospect managed to make himself the focus of attention—and not because of the fight he was supposed to promote but because he picked fights with almost everyone, including Ilia Topuria, a man who isn’t even in his division.

It all began when, out of the blue, Josh Hokit’s usual over-the-top theatrics quickly found their aim on Alex Pereira, seated on the same row.

“I’m gonna Chama on your mama!” Hokit told Pereira. “This guy’s the baddest on the planet? Look at how I speak to him! Like my dog! Like my b—-! F— you! Whatcha gonna do? Ain’t gonna do s—!”

‘Poatan’ answered through his translator, asking why the 28-year-old did nothing backstage when he ran into him.

“This guy just goes right by me, starts saying things,” he said. “I look at him in his eye and I said, Chama. Well, why didn’t he do anything when I was there?”

That only poured fuel on the fire. Hokit insulted Pereira for using a translator, until Ilia Topuria, who was seated next to Pereira, stood up and confronted Hokit for insulting the Brazilian former champ for not speaking English. But that only infuriated Hokit further, who switched his target to the lightweight champion.

“Who the f— are you b—-? F— you little b—-,” he told Topuria. “I am the real BMF belt, little, short m—-t. F— you! F—–g little m—-t, come up to a real weight class. I’ll give it to anybody. I don’t give a f—.

“[To Pereira,] hey, you have your boyfriend speaking for you?”

At this point, infuriated by the insults, Ilia Topuria threw a bottle of water right at Hokit’s face. Security quickly swarmed them all.

By this point, Alex Pereira had also stood up, and both Pereira and Topuria attempted to close the distance to Hokit. Fortunately for Hokit, the security held them both back while Hokit continued his harangue.

“Take this little p—y out,” Topuria said. “Take him out! Take him out! Get out of here.”

Finally heeding the advice of the lightweight champion, Hokit was removed from the presser, but not before he launched one last barb at Topuria.

“My performance is the Grammy,” Hokit cried. “And Ilia Topuria… You shouldn’t find your wife in Miami.”

The last line was a very personal dig that stems from Topuria’s 2025 interview with the Nelk Boys, where he firmly defended his now ex-wife when they expressed surprise about him being married to a woman from Miami.

What was supposed to be a promotional press conference almost turned into a full-fledged brawl, with security storming in and escorting fighters out.

In the end, Josh Hokit paid for it. Before he could even go off on Derrick Lewis, the man he is actually scheduled to fight on the White House lawn, he was removed from the stage entirely. That irony is what makes the timing perfect for Hokit’s unusual rise.

Earlier, in a backstage interview with Megan Olivi, ‘The Black Mamba’ had called the 28-year-old a nobody.

“I really don’t wanna watch none of the fights,” he said. “So, I really don’t know. I don’t even know nothing about him. I heard that he’s just a clown, that’s all.”

Well, hours later, it seems like Josh Hokit ensured that no one in Newark, or anybody watching online, would ever forget exactly who he is. And while this rant might’ve worked for him, you know it’s too much when even someone like Sean Strickland calls you out for it.

Sean Strickland claims Josh Hokit went too far after the Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira confrontation

That is where things become most telling. Josh Hokit’s career has been built on chaos, provocation, and saying things that go viral right away—but even by UFC standards, Friday’s White House press conference appears to have gone too far. Surprisingly, one of the most outspoken critics was Sean Strickland, a man who rarely believes in limits.

But even for Sean Strickland, this was too much. After seeing the 28-year-old drag personal relationships and family into his comments against Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira, ‘Tarzan’ publicly called him out.

“This is wild coming from me, but Josh goes way too far,” Strickland said. “Chandler’s wife, Ilia Topuria’s ex… I know it’s the WWE thing, but it’s too much.”

Sean Strickland drew a clear distinction here: promotion is one thing, but bringing very personal issues, such as Ilia Topuria’s very public divorce, back into the spotlight is another. And this may be the true risk of Josh Hokit’s character work. He is clearly attracting attention, and in modern combat sports, attention is currency.

However, there is a fine line between building hype and creating genuine resentment from peers who understand the game. If even Strickland, a man often compared to a human wildfire, believes Josh Hokit is going too far, then ‘The Incredible Hok’ may be discovering that chaos is easy to produce but far more difficult to control once it turns real.