Masvidal Says He Has $200,000 Riding on Hokit

Jorge Masvidal says he is backing his pick with real money. Before UFC 334, he claims to hold a $200,000 ticket on Josh Hokit that pays $1 million if the challenger beats Ciryl Gane.

A challenger one year into his UFC career

Hokit is 10-0 as a pro, with four wins inside the UFC. The fight is on Saturday, November 14, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Dana White's Contender Series gave him his UFC deal in August 2025, and Max Gimenis and Denzel Freeman were stopped in his first two fights with the promotion. A decision over Curtis Blaydes came in April. In June he finished Derrick Lewis in the second round at UFC Freedom 250.

He wrestled and played football in college, and now fights for a title about a year into his UFC run.

The champion across the cage

For Gane this is a first defense as undisputed heavyweight champion. Gane took the interim belt with a stoppage of Alex Pereira in June. Tom Aspinall then vacated, amid continuing eye-injury problems, and Gane became undisputed champion.

His UFC record is 11-2 with one no contest.

Why Masvidal sees a wrestling fight

Gane's two UFC losses are to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, and grappling mattered in both. That is the root of Masvidal's argument.

“I think Hokit gets him down, he could break him, standing over him, punching him,” Masvidal said. It is a prediction, and Saturday's fight will be its only test.

The slip on the podcast

Masvidal first made the point on an earlier Deep Waters appearance. There he said he was putting everything on Hokit, drawn in by the underdog price.

When his co-hosts pressed him on the podcast later, he reached into his pocket for a betting slip. “I got the receipt right here in my pocket. $200,000 boy, I get $1 million back,” he said. Chris Weidman was among those who reacted.

The slip was described as +400 plus. Odds like that pay four dollars for every dollar staked, plus the stake back. On $200,000, that comes to the $1 million he mentions.

Source: LowKickMMA.com