Josh Hokit is an American athlete whose unusual career has crossed wrestling, college football, professional football, and mixed martial arts. Born on November 12, 1997, in Bakersfield, California, he developed into a versatile competitor known for physical strength, determination, and an ability to adapt between sports. His athletic journey began with wrestling and football during his youth before leading him to Fresno State, the San Francisco 49ers, and eventually professional MMA. His story is especially interesting because he succeeded in multiple demanding sports rather than following a conventional single-sport career path.
| Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Joshua Seth Hokit |
| Date of birth | November 12, 1997 |
| Birthplace | Bakersfield, California, USA |
| Raised in | Wasco and Clovis, California |
| College | Fresno State |
| Sports background | Wrestling, football, MMA |
| Football position | Fullback / running back |
| NFL team | San Francisco 49ers |
| MMA division | Heavyweight |
| MMA nickname | The Incredible Hok |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in |
| Professional MMA career | Began in 2023 |
Early Life and Family Background
Growing up in California’s Central Valley, Josh Hokit became interested in competitive sports at an early age. He eventually attended Clovis High School, where wrestling and football became major parts of his development. His high-school career demonstrated that he possessed unusual athletic versatility, combining the strength needed for wrestling with the speed and physicality required in football. By his senior year, he had developed into a highly regarded wrestler while also making an impact on the football field. These early experiences established the competitive mentality that later became central to his career.
High School Wrestling Success
Wrestling played an important role in shaping Josh Hokit before he entered college. At Clovis High School, he competed at a high level and became a state champion at 182 pounds. His senior wrestling season also saw him rise as high as No. 3 nationally. The sport demanded conditioning, balance, leverage, and mental toughness, skills that later proved valuable in both football and MMA. His wrestling credentials were strong enough that he originally accepted a wrestling scholarship to Drexel University before ultimately changing direction because of his desire to continue playing football.
Football Achievements at Clovis High
Football provided another avenue for Josh Hokit to demonstrate his athletic ability. During his senior season, he reportedly recorded 125 tackles while also rushing for 820 yards and eight touchdowns. Playing both defense and offense required considerable endurance and adaptability. His ability to switch responsibilities reflected the all-around athletic profile that would later define his college career. Rather than specializing in one position from an early age, he developed experience across different roles, helping him become comfortable learning new assignments and competing in physically demanding environments.
Choosing Fresno State
The decision to attend Fresno State became an important turning point. Although he had a wrestling opportunity elsewhere, he wanted to continue football and joined Fresno State as a walk-on. His arrival was not accompanied by the expectations normally placed on highly recruited athletes, but his work ethic quickly changed that situation. Fresno State’s athletics program later described his decision to balance football and wrestling as an unusually demanding path. He became part of the school’s newly revived wrestling program while simultaneously contributing to the football team.
College Football Development
At Fresno State, Josh Hokit quickly showed that he could contribute in several football roles. As a freshman, he appeared in all 12 games and was used at linebacker, fullback, running back, and special teams. One of his strongest early performances came against Hawaii, when he rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries. His versatility made him valuable to coaches because he could perform different responsibilities depending on the team’s needs. Instead of remaining a developmental walk-on, he steadily earned opportunities through preparation, physicality, and dependable performances.
Breakthrough Sophomore Season
His sophomore football campaign represented a major step forward. He appeared in all 14 games and started four, finishing second on the roster with 583 rushing yards on 128 attempts. He also scored seven rushing touchdowns, placing him among the Mountain West Conference’s productive touchdown runners that season. One particularly memorable moment came when he threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Jared Rice during the season opener. His willingness to contribute in unconventional ways demonstrated the creative value of having a genuinely versatile athlete on the roster.
Returning to Wrestling
Football did not end his wrestling ambitions. After the football season, Josh Hokit returned to the wrestling mat and continued competing for Fresno State. His dual-sport schedule required him to move between conditioning programs, practices, travel, and competitions. Fresno State highlighted how unusual his commitment was because both sports demanded significant time and physical preparation. Rather than treating wrestling as a secondary hobby, he continued to compete seriously and developed into one of the most recognizable athletes associated with the university’s revived wrestling program.
Becoming a Wrestling All-American
In 2018, Josh Hokit achieved one of the most significant milestones of his college career when he became a wrestling All-American. He led Fresno State with 27 victories and became the program’s first All-America selection since Mario Botelho in 2003. The achievement was particularly meaningful because he was simultaneously maintaining a football career. His wrestling success demonstrated that he was not simply a football player who occasionally wrestled. He had developed into a serious collegiate competitor capable of succeeding against elite opposition.
NCAA Wrestling Performance
His wrestling career reached another important point at the NCAA Championships. In 2019, he went 6-2 during the tournament and finished fifth nationally, earning All-American honors. Reports from the period described how his attitude toward wrestling had changed from considering stepping away from the sport to becoming deeply committed to improving. His training included weight lifting, wrestling technique, and film study. That dedication helped produce a 27-8 season and strengthened the wrestling foundation that would eventually become highly relevant to his transition into MMA.
Final Fresno State Football Season of Josh Hokit
During his senior football season, Josh Hokit continued to provide a physical presence for Fresno State. He appeared in 12 games and made one start against Colorado State. He recorded 287 rushing yards and led the team with nine rushing touchdowns while also contributing 97 receiving yards and one touchdown on 17 receptions. He served as team captain during the final four games of the season. These numbers reflected the evolution of an athlete who had entered college as a walk-on and ultimately became a significant contributor and leader.
Entering the NFL
After the 2020 NFL Draft, Josh Hokit went undrafted but earned an opportunity with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. The transition from college football to professional football is difficult even for drafted players, making his opportunity especially notable. He was waived during final roster cuts but quickly returned to the organization’s practice squad. His persistence kept him involved with the team and gave him experience within a professional NFL environment.
San Francisco 49ers Experience
His time with the San Francisco 49ers included practice-squad assignments, roster moves, and reserve/future contracts. He was activated from the COVID-19/reserve list in December 2020 and later signed another reserve/future contract in 2021. He continued competing for an opportunity before ultimately being waived in August 2022. Although he did not establish a long-term NFL playing career, the experience provided valuable exposure to professional-level training, preparation, and competition.
Arizona Cardinals Opportunity
Following his time with San Francisco, Josh Hokit received another NFL opportunity when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in August 2022. The stay was brief, as he was waived only days after signing. Nevertheless, reaching the NFL through the undrafted route illustrated how far he had progressed from his beginnings as a college walk-on. His professional football experience also gave him additional exposure to elite strength and conditioning programs before he fully redirected his athletic ambitions toward combat sports.
Transition to Mixed Martial Arts
After football, Josh Hokit moved toward mixed martial arts, a transition that made sense given his wrestling background and physical build. His collegiate wrestling experience provided an important technical foundation, while football had developed his strength, explosiveness, conditioning, and toughness. He began his professional MMA career in 2023 and competed in the heavyweight division. The move represented another major career change, but it also allowed him to combine skills developed across several stages of his athletic life.
MMA Style and Athletic Strengths
Josh Hokit brings a distinctive combination of wrestling fundamentals and football-developed physicality into MMA. Wrestling provides tools for controlling distance, changing levels, defending takedowns, and maintaining advantageous positions. Football contributes explosive movement, balance, contact tolerance, and strength. His heavyweight status also means that physical power can play an important role in his approach. His background across sports makes him an interesting example of how transferable athletic skills can become useful when an athlete changes disciplines.
Professional MMA Progress
His professional MMA record has developed through a combination of knockout, submission, and decision victories. Available biographical information lists him with nine professional wins, including five by knockout, three by submission, and one by decision. That distribution suggests that his skill set is not limited to a single method of winning. His wrestling background can support grappling exchanges, while his physical development and striking work provide additional possibilities. As his MMA career has progressed, his profile has expanded beyond the football and wrestling communities that first knew him.
UFC Career and Growing Recognition
The UFC became the biggest stage of his combat-sports career, bringing his unusual athletic background to a much wider audience. His rise has attracted attention partly because of the contrast between his former NFL ambitions and his new identity as a heavyweight fighter. Coverage has emphasized how his football and wrestling background helped build the foundation for his MMA career. His performances have also given fans a new reason to follow an athlete who had already experienced multiple chapters in American sports.
Major Heavyweight Breakthrough
A particularly significant moment came with his victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April 2026. Reports described the bout as a high-volume heavyweight contest, with Hokit earning a unanimous decision. The result was notable because Blaydes entered the fight with an established reputation and considerable wrestling credentials. Hokit responded with relentless activity and a performance that increased his visibility within the UFC heavyweight division. The victory helped establish him as more than simply an interesting crossover athlete.
Personality and Public Image
Josh Hokit has developed a flamboyant public persona during his MMA career. His promotional style and outspoken comments have attracted both supporters and criticism. This side of his personality contrasts with the disciplined, team-oriented athlete described by former Fresno State coaches and teammates. CBS Sports reported that people from his earlier football career remembered him as a committed competitor and valued teammate. His public image therefore contains two different elements: a serious athlete shaped by years of competition and an entertainer who embraces controversy.
Controversies and Media Attention
His outspoken behavior has also generated controversy. Some post-fight comments and promotional remarks have been criticized as offensive, leading to discussion about the boundaries between sports entertainment, trash talk, and responsible public conduct. These incidents have become part of the wider conversation surrounding his career, particularly because MMA promotions often place significant emphasis on personality and entertainment. While controversy can increase visibility, it can also influence how athletes are perceived outside competition. His career demonstrates the complicated relationship between athletic performance, promotional personas, and public reaction.
Influence of Wrestling on MMA
The wrestling foundation of Josh Hokit remains one of the most important elements of his athletic identity. Years spent competing on the mat taught him leverage, body control, balance, and persistence. Those characteristics can translate naturally into MMA, where controlling an opponent and managing physical exchanges are crucial. His wrestling career also taught him how to compete against technically skilled opponents while dealing with intense pressure. That background helps explain why his transition from football to combat sports was more logical than it might initially appear.
Influence of Football on Fighting
Football contributed a different set of skills to Josh Hokit. Playing running back, fullback, linebacker, and special teams roles required acceleration, contact strength, coordination, and the ability to absorb physical challenges. Football also exposed him to structured team environments and demanding conditioning programs. Those experiences can be valuable for an MMA athlete, even though fighting requires different technical preparation. His journey illustrates how skills developed in one sport can become useful foundations for another when combined with specialized training.
Work Ethic and Mental Toughness
One of the clearest themes throughout Josh Hokit’s career is persistence. He moved from a walk-on college football player to a meaningful contributor, became a wrestling All-American, earned NFL opportunities as an undrafted player, and later built a professional MMA career. Each stage required adapting to uncertainty and competition. His willingness to continue pursuing difficult opportunities has been central to his story. Rather than relying on a straightforward path, he repeatedly entered environments where he had to prove himself and earn recognition through performance.
Life Beyond One Sport
What makes Josh Hokit particularly interesting is that his identity cannot easily be reduced to one athletic discipline. He has competed seriously in wrestling, football, and MMA, with each sport influencing the next. Wrestling developed technical combat skills, football strengthened his physical attributes and team experience, and MMA gave him a platform to combine those qualities. His career provides an example of athletic reinvention, showing that an athlete’s professional journey can continue evolving even after one competitive chapter appears to have ended.
Career Lessons From His Journey
The career of Josh Hokit offers several lessons for aspiring athletes. First, opportunities can emerge from unexpected places, especially when an athlete continues developing multiple skills. Second, being overlooked initially does not necessarily determine the final outcome of a career. Third, transferable abilities can become valuable when moving into a different sport. Finally, persistence matters when the route to professional success is uncertain. His progression from high-school athlete to college walk-on, NFL prospect, and MMA professional demonstrates how long-term development can create opportunities.
Future Prospects in MMA
The future of Josh Hokit will depend on continued development, health, matchmaking, and performance against increasingly challenging heavyweight opponents. His wrestling background gives him an established technical base, while his football history provides unusual athletic credentials. His growing UFC profile could create opportunities for higher-profile fights if he continues winning. The heavyweight division can change quickly because one performance can dramatically alter an athlete’s position. For that reason, his next stages will likely be closely watched by fans interested in both traditional American sports and MMA.
Why His Story Stands Out
Few athletes follow a path that moves from high-school wrestling and football to NCAA competition, the NFL, and UFC-level MMA. Josh Hokit stands out because every stage of his career has added another layer to his athletic identity. He was not simply successful in one environment before retiring; instead, he repeatedly challenged himself in different forms of competition. His story combines perseverance, physical versatility, reinvention, and professional ambition, making it compelling for readers interested in unusual sports careers.
Legacy and Athletic Impact
The long-term legacy of Josh Hokit will ultimately depend on what he accomplishes in MMA, but his earlier achievements already form a distinctive record. He helped establish himself as a notable dual-sport athlete at Fresno State, earned All-American wrestling recognition, reached the NFL as an undrafted player, and later entered professional combat sports. His journey shows that athletic careers can evolve through several stages rather than following a single predictable route. For young competitors, his story can serve as an example of persistence and willingness to pursue new opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is Josh Hokit? – He is an American athlete who has competed in wrestling, college football, professional football, and professional MMA.
- Where did Josh Hokit play college football? – He played college football at Fresno State, where he became a versatile contributor and team captain.
- Did Josh Hokit wrestle in college? – Yes, he competed for Fresno State and earned All-American recognition at the NCAA level.
- Did Josh Hokit play in the NFL? – He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent and later received an opportunity with the Arizona Cardinals.
- What MMA division does Josh Hokit compete in? – He competes as a heavyweight and has developed a professional MMA career after his football and wrestling years.
For additional background and related biographical information, readers can explore the Josh Hokit Wikipedia page, which provides a broader overview of his wrestling, football, NFL, and MMA journey.
