Josh Hokit has once again found himself at the center of a massive controversy after a violent threat he made against Ian Machado Garry’s three-year-old son Leo, following the face-off between Garry and Islam Makhachev.

Ahead of their welterweight title fight at UFC 330 this weekend, Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry faced off in front of the iconic Rocky statue outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After the face-off, Garry’s three-year-old son desperately wanted to meet the welterweight champion and possibly shake his hand. However, the champion and his team quickly left the spot, leaving the child devastated and teary-eyed. Soon, Garry and his wife, Layla, began consoling the child. The moment quickly drew attention online, with Garry’s attempt to console his son turning what could have been an awkward situation into a wholesome father-son moment. However, Josh Hokit had an entirely different reaction to it.

After coming across the clip, the UFC heavyweight responded with an alarming threat toward Ian Garry’s young son, claiming he would “punt” the 3-year-old child if he ever attempted to shake his hand.

“Try to play that game and have your kid shake my hand.. I’d punt that f—g kid,” Josh Hokit wrote.

With that comment, the 28-year-old undefeated heavyweight has added another chapter to his history of highly provocative statements. He called Michelle Obama “a man” in his post-fight interview at the UFC White House event in June. Hokit had also previously called WNBA star Brittney Griner “a man” in another one of his post-fight interviews.

While Hokit’s disdain for Garry likely stems from the Irishman’s recent comment that women make better leaders than men, after which he labeled Garry a “fairy,” going as far as making a violent threat against a child is taking things a bit too far.

Interestingly, Josh Hokit is not the first fighter to involve Garry’s child in their rivalry.

During the UFC 315 fight week last year, former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena made a controversial remark about Leo. Before the weigh-ins, Garry, who served as the backup fighter for the main event, had his young son approach JDM to hand him a pack of M&M’s as a cheeky attempt to tempt him during his weight cut. However, the Aussie dismissed the gesture and made a controversial remark stating that he didn’t believe the child was actually Ian Garry’s son.

So, the latest threat from Josh Hokit adds to the long-running collection of fight-week controversies that have followed the Irishman.

As of now, Ian Garry has yet to react to Hokit’s comment. But we can be sure the Irishman won’t hold back if he decides to address the matter. On the other hand, Islam Makhachev has addressed the incident that started the entire discussion. 

Islam Makhachev promises to meet Ian Garry’s son after ignoring him at UFC 330 face-off

Islam Makhachev might appear as a stoic Dagestani who knows nothing but smashing his opponents inside the Octagon, but he does have a heart of gold. At the media day, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn asked the welterweight champion about leaving the UFC 330 faceoff early without meeting Ian Garry’s son and whether he would like to meet the child later.

Responding to the question, Islam Makhachev made it clear that he didn’t intentionally ignore Garry’s son.

“Yeah, sure. We will meet him,” Makhachev said. “I didn’t see him there, but I’ll make him happy.”

That should come as a relief to Garry’s son, who appeared particularly excited to meet the Dagestani champion.

For now, it appears Leo will get another opportunity to meet one of his favorite fighters before UFC 330. And given the unusual circumstances surrounding their first attempted meeting, that encounter could become one of the more memorable moments of fight week.

As for Hokit, his comments have added yet another layer of controversy to an already heated UFC 330 buildup. Whether Garry chooses to respond remains to be seen, but the welterweight contender now has much more than his title fight with Makhachev to worry about outside the Octagon.