This is an Open Scoring MMA News Alert.

According to, the UFC boss got candid about a potential Hokit title reign, and the tone was less than enthusiastic.

It's easy to see why the subject is even coming up. Hokit sits at number four in the heavyweight rankings and just delivered one of the biggest wins of his career, stopping Derrick Lewis by knockout in the second round back on June 14, finishing things off at the 4:09 mark. That result alone was enough to put him firmly in the title conversation.

Now he's set to find out just how far that run can go. Hokit is booked to face Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 on November 14, a matchup that will tell us a lot about whether his rise is for real. Sportsbooks have him as a clear underdog at plus 210, and our own model backs that skepticism, giving him just a 29 percent chance to win, albeit with only lean confidence behind that number. His Elo rating sits at 1609, built off a small ten fight sample, which helps explain why nobody is treating him as a finished product yet.

Beating Lewis is one thing. Beating Gane, a much more polished and experienced striker who has already competed at the sport's highest level, is an entirely different task. White's own hesitation about a Hokit title reign suggests even the promotion isn't ready to fully buy in, and that skepticism lines up with what the numbers say.

If Hokit wins in November, the doubts about his readiness for a title reign will still follow him into that title picture. If he doesn't, this fight will simply be remembered as the moment reality caught up with a hot streak.