Josh Hokit is the UFC's newest heavyweight and is coming off an impressive second-round knockout win over Guilherme Uriel at Dana White's Contender Series 78 at the Apex facility. Hokit seemingly impressed the brass with his performance and went home with a UFC contract.While Hokit undoubtedly packs a punch in the cage, he was also involved with an NFL team before transitioning to mixed martial arts. Let's take a look at the heavyweight fighter's career before he ventured into combat sports.Did Josh Hokit play in the NFL?After excelling in wrestling and football in high school, Josh Hokit went on to play for the Fresno State University team and even became captain briefly. After college, Hokit went unpicked in the 2020 NFL draft but was ultimately signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent. While he didn't make it past the final roster cuts, Hokit was re-signed to the practice squad.Hokit never featured in a professional NFL game despite spending over two years as part of the 49ers squad. He also signed with the Arizona Cardinals in August 2022 but was waived just five days later.Intriguingly, Hokit signed with Bellator MMA in March 2023 and made his professional MMA debut against Spencer Smith later that year. Hokit notably defeated Smith via third-round submission. After picking up four consecutive victories, Hokit featured on Dana White's Contender Series 78 and faced Guilherme Uriel in a heavyweight matchup.Hokit won the fight via second-round knockout and secured a UFC contract from Dana White. In the aftermath, Hokit sounded off on the "liberal, snowflake" NFL during a post-fight interview and said:I left the liberal, snowflake NFL to do a real man’s sport in a real man’s promotion. Here I am, doing just that by earning this UFC contract."