UFC president Dana White says he doesn't like Josh Hokit's "shtick" but he has earned his heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane.
American Hokit will face Frenchman Gane for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 334 at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Hokit is a controversial fighter, who in a similar vein to Colby Covington, adopts various personas during interviews to generate attention from fans.
He has been accused of overstepping the line into discrimination, however, after making racially aggravated and misogynistic comments in his post-UFC 324 interview in January.
After Hokit directed misogynistic comments towards former First Lady Michelle Obama in June, UFC president Dana White described his words as "gross", "moronic", and "inappropriate".
Hokit directed more crude jokes towards his fellow fighters during a news conference to promote UFC 334, but White defended the 29-year-old.
"You know how I feel about shtick, I don't like them, I don't like his shtick, but for anyone to say he doesn't deserve this fight is crazy," said White.
"He earned this fight, that he absolutely did."
Hokit will fight for the heavyweight title despite only making his UFC debut one year ago.
Since then he has won four fights in the promotion, to extend his unbeaten record to 10.
