Josh Hokit, once a promising heavyweight prospect within the PFL, decided to exit the promotion after competing only a single time following its merger with Bellator.
“They kind of made it easy,” Hokit stated. He explained that following the merger, contracts were renegotiated. “I was fighting for a little bit more money and they sent a new contract, and it was for less money. I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s worth it.’” He also cited a lack of activity, having fought only twice in two years, stating, “I wanted to be way more active than that.”
He concluded, “I thought it was the best decision just to go elsewhere, take the pay cut. But as long as I’m active, that’s all I care about right now.”
Now holding a 4-0 record, Hokit has indeed found the activity he sought. In 2025 alone, he has already competed as many times for LFA as he did during his entire tenure with PFL and Bellator combined. The undefeated heavyweight is scheduled for his third fight of 2025 this Friday at LFA 208, where he is set to face Eric Lunsford.
The undefeated prospect emphasized that the contract renegotiation with PFL involved a substantial reduction in pay, and suggested that even without the pay cut, he might have chosen to leave.
Hokit revealed the difference was considerable. “It was like a $20,000 difference,” he stated. He reasoned that at his current career stage, gaining experience was paramount. He felt the PFL intended to fast-track him into tough matchups (“throw me in the fire right away”) for less compensation. His preference was to “go elsewhere, get more experience and climb the ranks that way,” believing it was a “better decision” and “better situation” for his development.
He elaborated on the PFL`s potential plan, saying, “I think they were gonna try to throw me in the tournament.” With only two professional fights at the time, he questioned this approach. “I was like, I only have like 2 fights and I don’t know if that’s the best decision,” leading him to ultimately decide to “go elsewhere and get more experience, work my way up.”
Initially, after the merger, Hokit felt the organization wanted to retain him. He believes his contract, under which he had only fought twice, was simply concluding after a year and a half. He had also discussed the possibility of competing in other organizations to gain experience while still being a PFL fighter, which he says they seemed open to. However, he grew disillusioned with the overall situation involving PFL and Bellator.
Reflecting on his motivation, he asked himself, “why am I even fighting in the first place?” He clarified his ultimate ambition: “I’m not fighting to be PFL champion. I’m fighting to be UFC champion.” He emphasized, “The goal of mine is I want to be in the UFC.”
Hokit transitioned to MMA from a background as a standout college football player and wrestler. He was briefly involved in professional football, signing as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 for a two-year period, followed by a very short stint with the Arizona Cardinals before his football career concluded.
The 27-year-old has quickly found success in MMA. He indicated that his upcoming fight on Friday could very well be his last before potentially entering the organizational structure of TKO Group Holdings (the parent company of the UFC).
Hokit revealed, “I already actually signed a contract with Dana White Contender Series for August.” He sees his current fight as preparation, explaining, “I’m just doing this fight for more experience because I just know it’s just how the UFC is shaped nowadays.” He noted the high level of competition contenders face: “These guys are ready to fight in the UFC. They got experience from all over the world… So they’re ready to be contenders, and so that’s how I’m looking at it.”
Regarding the heavyweight division specifically, Hokit offered his perspective: “Heavyweight’s a little bit different where there’s just not as much — how would I say it — the heavyweight division is not very deep.” He contrasted it with lighter weight classes, stating, “It’s like they don’t got as much skill as the 145-pound division.”
Despite this, he expressed confidence in his own abilities within the division. “So I feel like with my skill set, I could hang with those guys and ultimately beat all of them, in my opinion, with my skill set right now.” He feels his current experience is sufficient for the next step: “And I feel like after this fight, that’s going to be 5 wins, so I don’t feel like I need any more… I feel like I’m ready for Contender Series and whatever happens after that.”
Oliver Croft