One of two heavyweight tilts on the UFC 324 card in Las Vegas on Saturday found Contender Series alum Josh Hokit throwing down with former LFA champ Denzel Freeman.
With Hokit also an LFA vet, the pair had missed each other under the regional promotion’s banner, but are making up for that on the first-ever UFC card to stream on Paramount+.
Round 1 – Hokit immediately sprinted across the cage and grabbed Freeman’s legs, picking him up and slamming him to the floor. He got to his back and denied get-up attempts, but Freeman worked back to his feet. Striking exchanges seemed to be in Hokit’s favor, with speed and volume, but he clearly intended to get the fight back to the floor.
After landing an uppercut in the clinch, Freeman dropped momentarily, giving Hokit the takedown he was looking for. The pace was absolutely insane, with Hokit giving Freeman no chance to breathe or move without being hit. A knee to the body sat Freeman down, and when he got back to his feet, he looked wobbly and exhausted. Hokit kicked Freeman in the arm as the final seconds ticked down, knocking Freeman off balance.
Instead of pushing forward, Hokit flipped him off and walked away, as Freeman squatted down. Mark Smith stepped in and stopped the fight with one second left in the opening round, seeing Freeman’s exhaustion and horrible posture. The pace from Hokit was insane, never letting off the gas and causing hell for Freeman for five minutes.
The win improves Hokit to 8-0 in MMA, 2-0 in the UFC. He called out Waldo Cortes-Acosta and questioned Britney Griner’s gender in his post-fight speech. He also claims the second UFC finish bonus, after Ty Miller earned a TKO, also at 4:59 of the opening round, in the night’s first bout.
Official Result: Josh Hokit def. Denzel Freeman by TKO, Round 1, 4:59
