Hokit Has Spotted Aspinall's Biggest Weakness

Josh Hokit is not waiting for Tom Aspinall to return before he starts doing his homework.

The 28-year-old heavyweight contender has been studying tape on the UFC champion during Aspinall's extended absence, and he believes he has found something worth noting. Aspinall, in Hokit's assessment, is too aggressive for his own good.

"He's too offensive minded. That makes things exciting until a proper athlete is able to compete with his athleticism. His strength is also his weakness,” Hokitt

Hokit has earned the right to make that kind of analysis. His win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn in June was the biggest performance of his career — a second-round knockout that came despite a 34-pound weight disadvantage and announced him as a genuine title contender. He is now ranked fifth in the heavyweight division and riding a four-fight winning streak since earning his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series.

If the Aspinall-Gane rematch lands in September, a Hokit title shot is probably still several months away at minimum, assuming he stays active and continues winning. The Pereira fight, if it happens, could serve as exactly the kind of high-profile interim step that cements his number one contender status rather than just approaching it.

For now, Hokit is doing what contenders do during a champion's absence — making noise, studying film, and ensuring that when the belt becomes available, his name is the loudest in the room. His read on Aspinall's style may or may not prove accurate when the two eventually share a cage. It does, at minimum, suggest he is thinking seriously about how to beat the best rather than simply hoping to reach him.