The build-up surrounding Josh Hokit was far from flattering. His cringeworthy trash talk and an intense face-off with Jiri Prochazka at the UFC 327 media day drew widespread criticism and skepticism. But once the Octagon door closed, the undefeated heavyweight flipped the narrative in emphatic fashion. Hokit delivered a performance for the ages, outlasting Curtis Blaydes in what was hailed as one of the greatest heavyweight wars in UFC history.
The three-round slugfest was a relentless, back-and-forth battle that pushed both men to their absolute limits while elevating Hokit’s stock overnight. He ultimately earned a hard-fought unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), though the scorecards barely reflected the chaos inside the cage. Both fighters appeared exhausted by the end of the opening round, yet somehow sustained a blistering pace all the way to the final horn.
Hokit set the tone early, nearly stealing the first frame with a barrage of strikes and even taunting Blaydes mid-fight. From there, Hokit’s pressure never let up. Showcasing sharper hands and relentless aggression, he gradually turned Blaydes’ face into a bloodied mess. To Blaydes’ credit, he refused to back down, digging deep and absorbing heavy punishment. In doing so, both men etched their names into the record books.
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Unofficially, the bout featured the most significant strikes ever thrown in a three-round UFC heavyweight fight. Hokit landed 177, while Blaydes fired back with 174, surpassing the previous record set by Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier at UFC 241. In the end, Hokit did just enough to secure the decision, improving to 3-0 in his UFC career and continuing his red-hot rise in the promotion.
He also walked away with both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors, pocketing a cool $200,000 in bonuses. The breakout performance didn’t just elevate Hokit in the 265lbs rankings, but also earned him high praise from Dustin Poirier, who drew striking comparisons to some of the sport’s biggest personalities.
Appearing on the UFC’s About Last Fight show, ‘The Diamond’ highlighted how Hokit’s ability to back up his talk mirrors the rise of stars like Conor McGregor, Sean O’Malley, and Chael Sonnen.
He said, “Listen, when stars start to align—you’ve seen it in Conor—when you talk the talk and walk the walk, you’ve seen ‘Sugar’ Sean [O’Malley], you’ve seen Chael Sonnen, we’ve seen it time and time again where guys talk the talk, and then they walk the walk. And he just did it this week.”
Poirier added, “He talked a big game, and he went out there and put on one of the best heavyweight fights we’ve seen and got his hand raised. Good things happen. You become a star.”
Beyond the performance itself, Hokit’s in-cage antics also left an impression. Reflecting on his mid-fight behavior against Blaydes, Poirier said, “When you talk the way he’s been talking all week, you have to fight like that. You have to go out there and fight like that. He set a record for the most middle fingers.”
The spectacle didn’t just earn Hokit respect but also opened the door to a massive opportunity. Moments after the fight, Donald Trump, who was cageside, reportedly questioned why Derrick Lewis hadn’t been booked for the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House.
A known fan of ‘The Black Beast,’ Trump’s remark prompted Dana White to act immediately. Lewis accepted the opportunity without hesitation, leaving the UFC in need of an opponent. Fresh off witnessing Hokit’s war, White gave the surging 9-0 heavyweight a standing ovation and matched him up against Lewis for the historic June 14 event.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.