Shadowing Practice: BREAKING: Hokit vs. Gane at Madison Square Garden - Learn English Speaking with Video

Well, I just got a call from the UFC, and I am never the guy that gets – I don't break news.

I'm not against breaking news.

I just – I don't – I got news.

They gave me scoop, and I thought it was out there.

I thought I was being brought in on, like, the celebration.

Listen, Josh Hogan is going to be fighting Surreal Gone, Madison Square Garden.

But when I was told, I thought I was being brought in on the celebration like is Josh and Team Bad Guy Inc.

And I thought I was being brought in on a celebration.

I go to the dot coms.

It's not out there anywhere.

So I think they use me.

I think I'm the guy that got the news.

And I got to turn this around.

And it can take me up to 45 minutes to make a piece, but then get it to you guys.

But believe it or not, you got loading times.

And then there's an audio thing.

And there's an edit you have to run through.

And there's an approval process.

My point is, unless you find this out somewhere in the next 45 minutes, then I am breaking this news.

Madison Square Garden, Josh Hogan, is going to be fighting for the world championship against Surreal Gone.

Now, I didn't think to ask any questions.

I didn't really have any.

I was just listening.

In fact, I thought that the call was in for something else and that this had just come up.

But then they got off the phone and I realized, oh, they just called to tell me.

How cool is that?

So I feel like this is my job.

I feel this is my job.

I'm supposed to come and tell you guys, and I think that's incredible news.

Now, when I got off the phone, I realized I hadn't asked a question.

I assume it's for the Undisputed Championship.

I assume that Surreal Gone is the Undisputed Champion.

but from hanging up this phone call

and before i'm able to make this to you i was a guest on errol hawani's show

and errol brought it to my attention

that surreal gone has not been named the undisputed champion now i pushed back on ariel

and said hey ariel i'm well aware that we make this up

that we adhere to the rules we make up on the spot

but i don't think there needs to be an announcement that Cyril Gaughan is the undisputed champion.

I think he just is.

I think that's why you have an interim champion in the event

that the undisputed champion cannot continue and then he gets elevated, and Errol goes, well, he said, Shale, historically, what are you referencing that to?

I'm changing Errol's word a little bit, but he said, well, what are you referencing that to?

He said, think back, even think of Tom.

The most recent time this happened, they held a press conference.

He's like, well...

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Yes, they did hold a press conference, but out that press conference is where they announced that John Jones was relinquishing the belt.

It was a simultaneous, and they happened to do that through a press conference.

Tom is the one that broke the news to us that he was resigning the title.

so there won't be the ability for a press conference

and i believe simultaneously that this takes place but i can't help

but to agree i don't actually know that

but hocus fight for the belt there'd be no reason to accept there'd be no reason to accept back the undisputed title,

let alone give back the heavyweight title, if you weren't in a position to get on with it, I want to get this right.

I don't break stories.

They don't call me for stories.

So I want to get it right.

And I just have to give you this little caveat that I was so flattered they called me, I guess.

Is that the word?

That I didn't ask anything.

I just said, okay.

And now Ariel is pushed back just a little bit.

Here's the thing in conjunction with all of this happening, a picture gets released from Alex Piera.

He's in the UFC's office.

He has just done a deal.

He releases a photo with Hunter Campbell in the office, which is very consistent with guys that just did a deal.

And Piera's got this huge smile.

He looks very happy.

Now, we don't have a caption and we don't know what that is but a picture is worth a thousand words.

And if you're attempting to deduce what you should get from that, it looked like Pierre got some news that he liked.

Without knowing what happened, I can at a minimum tell you they do not bring you into the office to discuss small stuff.

Small stuff goes through a manager.

Medium, medium-high stuff will go directly to you, but it's still done over the phone.

I need to see you in the office.

is a whole different level.

So what could have happened?

What are the guesses?

If Alex came in and got a fight and it made him happy, Alex really wanted to fight at MSG.

He asked for it.

Now he did want to fight Cyril gone, but he made a bigger deal about MSG.

And Alex likes to turn him around quickly.

And Alex has done that as a favor to the company.

So now if he's asking and saying, hey get me back in there there's no place else for me to go this entire year

and don't tell me i'm sitting until next year and they did that form that could warrant a big smile

but i feel like there's more i just feel it i

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don't i haven't been told this isn't my way of like easing into something i wasn't supposed to mention

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but i i feel that alex is likely to be fighting volkov

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which is likely to be a number one contenders match and

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if that comes on the same night which i believe

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that it will i believe

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that was the smile as i got my way i got my fight i got on madison square garden

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if if that is the case that is really an extravaganza of heavyweights

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and if i'm wrong about volkov then you're gonna insert pavlitch and if i'm wrong about that that, then I've got this whole thing backwards.

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But, that sounds right.

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A number one contenders match between Volkov and Alex, that sounds right.

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Now, that has the potential to deliver one thing that you'd rather not have,

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but it's something you deal with all the time, which is it would set up a rematch with God, whether that was a rematch for Alex or a rematch with Volkov.

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It would set up a rematch.

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I think the UFC likes to have a flexibility to make a fresh match when they can.

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But it still sounds right.

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To act as though Piera that's done

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so much isn't going to get another opportunity is just being a jerk if you say that.

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And you're being a bigger jerk to act as though Volkov doesn't deserve something very special.

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And the one thing that Volkov doesn't have, Volkov doesn't understand the game.

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but but the one thing that he he hasn't had that can benefit him is the right opponent

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that if i'm not a guy that's going to play the game hey listen plenty of them don't

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khabib went on to be a massive star he didn't play

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the game chuck liddell never played the game went on to

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run an entire era possibly the most recognizable mma fighter in

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history he didn't play the game either islam doesn't play the game so there's a way there's definitely a way

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But one thing that all those guys had was an opponent who did.

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An opponent who did get it.

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And that alone, my association, can elevate you.

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And may I suggest, Alex Pierre plays the game.

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If Volkov gets on a docket at MSG opposite Alex Pierre, it's a tremendous spot for Volkov.

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Shaping up to be a tremendous card.

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trying to do my part.

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They gave me this info to get this info to you guys.

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Hope you enjoy.

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Josh Hokett is one win away.

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Think about where he was one year ago today.

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Now he is one win away from being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

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Thank you.

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Speaking Goals for This Clip

This video is perfect for english speaking practice focused on conversational fluency and real-time storytelling. It targets the ability to convey excitement, clarify thoughts, and handle interruptions—key skills for natural dialogue. The speaker’s casual tone and mix of short, energetic sentences and longer explanations make it ideal for practicing shadow speak, where you mimic rhythm and intonation to sound more native.

Phrase Bank

"I just got a call from..." – Great for opening a story with breaking news.
"I thought I was being brought in on..." – Useful for expressing a misassumption.
"My point is..." – Perfect for refocusing a conversation after tangents.
"I assume..." – A natural way to state an unconfirmed belief.
"I pushed back on [someone] and said..." – Helps convey disagreement politely.

Fix Your Weak Spots

The video’s fast-paced, conversational flow challenges you to master shadowing technique. Notice how the speaker stresses words like "BREAKING" and "incredible" to emphasize excitement—mimic this to improve intonation. The frequent pauses (e.g., "But when I was told, I thought...") show how to pace speech naturally. Use a shadowing site to loop short clips, repeating phrases like "I got to turn this around" until you match the rhythm. This practice will also help with "shadow speech"—the ability to speak in sync with a native, reducing hesitation and improving fluency. Focus on the casual contractions ("I'm", "don't") to sound less formal, a common weak spot for learners.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being brought · was told · has not been named
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has not been named · have teamed · has just done
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	office, which is · time, which is

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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Speaking Goals for This Clip

Phrase Bank

Fix Your Weak Spots

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?