Volkov poked fun at the Gane vs. Hokit fight: “It’s an incredibly inspiring story.”

Alexander Volkov reacted in his usual style to the UFC’s decision regarding the next heavyweight title fight. The Russian makes no secret of the fact that he was counting on getting his chance, and he commented very sarcastically on the Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit matchup.

After Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight championship belt, the UFC decided to promote Ciryl Gane to the status of undisputed champion. The Frenchman is now set to defend his title against Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden.

Hokit earned his shot at the title after defeating Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes in 2026. In doing so, he moved ahead of Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich, among others, in the title shot queue.

The Russian, who has long been pushing for a title match himself, did not take this decision lightly.

Volkov speaks ironically about Hokita’s title shot

During his appearance on *The Ariel Helwani Show*, Volkov sarcastically commented on the fact that Hokit had been given a title fight ahead of him.

“I want to be honest with you. I’m very supportive of this fight from the UFC’s perspective. I have many reasons why it should take place, because Josh Hokit, from what I know about him, is apparently struggling with some mental health issues.” “It’s truly admirable that the UFC is giving a fighter with such serious issues the opportunity to compete for the title,” Volkov said .

The Russian continued in the same vein.

– Of course he should be ahead of me. That’s why fighters should fight first. For him, beating someone from the Top 5 isn’t possible right now, so this is the easiest path for the American heavyweight to get a title shot.

Volkov went even further, clearly mocking the organization’s decision.

– This is an incredibly inspiring story of a fighter with mental health issues who has a shot at the heavyweight championship. I fully support the UFC in this decision. It’s truly noble of them to do something like this for him and his struggles.

Volkov’s comment was, of course, sarcastic and was aimed primarily at the UFC matchmakers, who had decided to back Hokita.

The Russian, however, remains one of the top fighters in the heavyweight division. Following his controversial loss to Gane at UFC 310, he has recorded two consecutive victories, defeating Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida. Now he’ll have to wait for his next opportunity, while Hokit will try to take the championship belt from Gane.