For any UFC fighter, getting compared to Conor McGregor is a considerable honor. Ilia Topuria, Sean O’Malley, and some others have drawn similarities with the Irishman. However, the former UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, has extended that comparison to Josh Hokit before he challenges undisputed champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 334. The reason is fairly simple: The ex-champ is impressed by the Californian’s mind games against his opponents, much like ‘The Notorious.’ 

“So Hokit, as far as his (Hokit’s) fighting ability…he has definitely proven himself…that he’s a well-renowned mixed martial artist,” Velasquez told MMA Fighting. “He deserves what he’s getting as far as a title shot, you know? He’s fought those guys to get there. And he’s also taking the route, somewhat of a Conor McGregor, to speak in a way that creates tension.”

Clearly, Velasquez feels that Josh Hokit resembles Conor McGregor, especially in creating tension against his adversaries. But the former UFC champion’s overall admiration centers on the Californian’s ability to rattle the nerves of his opponents and his capacity to pull that off inside the Octagon.

Though McGregor would stand as the biggest star in the world, Hokit has certainly proved he is edging close to that stardom.

For McGregor, the edge over his opponents came from how rattled they became with his words before a fight. ‘The Notorious’ did not shy away from mentioning his opponent’s mental aspect to get under their skin, and he ultimately had success winning fights against the likes of Jose Aldo, Dustin Poirier (first fight), and Eddie Alvarez.

Hokit has employed a similar approach with mind games in his fights as well.

‘The Incredible Hok’ talked massively against opponents like Denzel Freeman, Curtis Blaydes, and Derrick Lewis, and he managed to win those fights as well. For his ability to deliver trash talk and back it up, Hokit draws comparisons with Conor McGregor.

In fact, Cain Velasquez isn’t the only one to notice the similarity.

Previously, Dustin Poirier also stated that Josh Hokit has that “it factor,” just like McGregor, that fuels stardom. Even more interesting, Hokit staged a similar moment against Ciryl Gane at the UFC 334 pre-fight press conference.

While delivering his trash talk, Hokit urged the crowd present at the pre-fight presser to chant “F—k” Ciryl Gane. For the long-time fans, the moment was a deja vu of Conor McGregor leading “F—k the Mayweathers” during the 2017 world press tour leading up to his high-profile boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Though it is unclear whether Hokit had McGregor’s moment in mind when facing Ciryl Gane, it is definitely a striking coincidence.

That said, Velasquez is not only impressed by Josh Hokit’s mind games like Conor McGregor. The former UFC heavyweight champion believes the 29-year-old Californian would pull off the upset at this weekend’s marquee event in Madison Square Garden. 

Cain Velasquez picks Josh Hokit to beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 

Ahead of UFC 334, undisputed champion Ciryl Gane is favored by oddsmakers. The Frenchman is more experienced and has shared the Octagon with some of the best fighters in the division. The challenger, Josh Hokit, on the other hand, has been in the UFC for just a year and is already fighting for a title shot. But that does not mean the Californian has no believers.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez feels Hokit is a more complete fighter than Gane and is on his way to surprising the UFC world this weekend.

“I think Josh is gonna surprise people on (UFC 334),” Velasquez added in the same interview. “He’s complete… (fighter), you know? I think (he is) way more complete than Gane is. So I think Hokit, yeah, is going to surprise a lot of people with the great wrestling. (He also has) great hands, as you’ve seen.”

While Velasquez acknowledged Hokit’s approach, he emphasized the fighter’s overall completeness as the primary reason for his belief in an upset.

“When the time comes to fight in a big stage, that’s the hardest part where everybody’s watching,” Velasquez further added. “Where you got to go out and do it on this day in this moment. He’s proven that. I see him winning this fight.”

Well, both Gane and Hokit have headlined some of the biggest events in the UFC. Both scored big wins at UFC White House against their respective opponents. 

However, the rise is more impressive for Hokit because he has spent only one year in the company and has been fighting at events like UFC 324, UFC 327, and Freedom 250, some of the brightest lights in the sport.

Because of this, Jorge Masvidal has reportedly placed a $200K bet on Hokit to win against Gane, with an expected payout of $1 million.

Now, what’s left to see is whether Josh Hokit’s McGregor-like approach, combined with his proven MMA prowess, will earn him the undisputed belt or fall just short.