'That’s Why I’m The Best In The World' – Ilia Topuria Reacts to Hitting Josh Hokit With Bottle Cap

Ilia Topuria and Josh Hokit (Photo by Imagn)

'That’s Why I’m The Best In The World' – Ilia Topuria Reacts to Hitting Josh Hokit With Bottle Cap

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Pavan Sharma | Last updated May 24, 2026 5:31 AM ET

Fans loved how Ilia Topuria defended Alex Pereira during the White House press conference. According to Topuria, Josh Hokit crossed the line and spoke poorly of Pereira’s family. As “Poatan” didn’t understand English, “El Matador” stood up and threw a bottle cap at Hokit, which landed perfectly, and the moment went viral on social media.

Now, the lightweight champion jokingly bragged about his accuracy after hitting the heavyweight star with a bottle cap during their heated altercation. Reacting to the viral moment, the Spanish fighter laughed it off and claimed his precision was exactly why he was the best in the world. During a recent interview with CCLegaspi, the 29-year-old said:

“That’s why I’m the best in the world. It would be bad if I were not sharp. I really have no idea who [Hokit] is. Don’t even know where he appeared from. I know that he is rude.”

After this incident, fans even made AI videos of Topuria fighting Hokit in the octagon. However, “El Matador” dismissed “The Incredible Hok” completely, saying he barely knew who he was before the incident. Meanwhile, Topuria was now focused on his training, as the fight against Justin Gaethje was just a few weeks away.

Ilia Topuria Wants Arman Tsarukyan After Justin Gaethje Fight

Arman Tsarukyan and many MMA stars accused Ilia Topuria of ducking the fight with Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, Topuria said the UFC had never offered him the Armenian fighter for a fight. However, the lightweight champion said he wanted to fight Tsarukyan next if he won at the White House card, and CCLegaspi revealed:

“He really wants to fight Arman. If there’s one title defense, he’ll want it to be against Arman next. At that point, it would be undeniable. I think if Ilia wins, Arman Tsarukyan will be the next title defense and then we’ll see what happens after that.”

Ilia Topuria REALLY wants to defend his title against Arman Tsarukyan, per @CCLegaspi

"He really wants to fight Arman. If there's one title defense, he'll want it to be against Arman next. At that point, it would be undeniable.

I think if Ilia wins, Arman Tsarukyan will… pic.twitter.com/eVVSnaHfna

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2026

He also revealed that Topuria was very interested in facing Tsarukyan because he believed it would remove all doubt about who the best lightweight in the world was. After that, “El Matador” could finally fight Islam Makhachev. The future of the Spanish fighter looked amazing.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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