Heavyweights Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis offered quite the contrast at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House on Sunday.
Lewis, the UFC’s knockout king, has always been a massive presence in the cage, and weighed in at 265lbs on Saturday. Yet he’s won over fans not just for the violence he brings via heavy hands, but his wry sense of humor as well, with deadpan delivery.
Hokit, who hit the scales at all of 231lbs, has in contrast been a complete motor-mouth, with multiple personas in his WWE approach to self-promotion.
Of course, all that would fade away come the opening bell at UFC Freedom 250, in the first of two heavyweight contests scheduled for the night. Although, before the opening bell, Hokit made sure to flip Lewis off, moving to center to do so.
When they moved to center moments later, both of them this time, it was Hokit firing a front kick to open the action. Lewis looked patient, while Hokit fanned on a spinning kick, fired another front kick, and slipped on another spinning attack. When Lewis attacked, meanwhile, Hokit was quick to retreat from the power, regroup, and land a right hand. Before long, however, Hokit ducked down and landed a double leg takedown, planting Lewis on his back. Hokit picked his shots with impressive accuracy, forgoing power to make sure he connected, and connect he did more than once.
Lewis would come close to wall walking up, but Hokit grabbed a leg and took “The Black Beast” back down. Some of that earlier ground n’ pound, an elbow most likely, had cut Lewis open. When Lewis failed to get up again, he rolled to his back, allowing Hokit to briefly take mount. Hokit then saw an opportunity for an arm-bar, took it, and had it in, though he was unable to get positioned just right and ran out of time.
An easy 10-9 for Josh Hokit in round one, with Lewis looking like he was wading through tar in comparison to Hokit’s speed. In round two, Hokit opened with a jab, while Lewis fired a spinning back kick. Hokit then punched his way into a takedown attempt, only for Lewis to fight it off, land a few punches, and put Hokit on his heels. That led to a “Lewis! Lewis!” chant from the crowd.
A clinch followed, and Lewis came out of it looking tired. Hokit then popped off a combination, and another moments later, connecting multiple times. Hokit backed up Lewis, clinching the bigger man against the fence and working in close. Lewis did land an uppercut; when they moved back to center, Hokit’s right hand found the mark again. Lewis looked exhausted. Hokit put him on the fence again, landing an elbow. Then another over the top. As they broke and came off the fence, Hokit landed again, and put together yet another combination that sent Lewis down! With Lewis on the mat, Hokit piled on with several more punches until ref Herb Dean called it off. Lewis, defeated, was flat on his back sucking air.
Josh Hokit’s athleticism proved the difference maker once again. Already ranked #5 at heavyweight coming into the fight, the trash talking ex-NFL player seems poised for a title run, after just a handful of UFC fights.
“Shout out to Trump for having the balls to put sh*t like this on,” Hokit exclaimed following the fight. He’d later dig up his “I wanna Chama on yo’ mamma” line aimed at Alex Pereira, and called former first lady Michelle Obama a man before exiting the octagon. Yet for all of his antics, Hokit’s performances are what matters, and he’ll be sticking around a while as a result.
Official Result: Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis by TKO, Round 2, 4:09
