Dana White’s Contender Series alum Josh Hokit earned one of the early contenders for ‘Knockout of the Year’ when he finished Denzel Freeman with one second left in Round 1 at UFC 324. Hokit moved to 8-0 with back-to-back knockouts to kick off his promotional tenure.
At a time when the UFC heavyweight division remains in a holding pattern, Hokit could be a key component in the division bouncing back as one of Mixed Martial Arts’ most exciting groupings. His brash persona on the microphone, combined with his forward-pressing fight style, makes him a potential UFC heavyweight star for years to come.
As undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall remains without a certain timeline for a return to the cage, Ciryl Gane and other contenders are making cases for title shots. The lack of activity in the heavyweight division means Hokit could potentially earn a title shot with a few more victories.
Hokit, who wants to remain active, will face a massive step up in competition on one of the biggest cards of the year.
Josh Hokit booked against Top 5 heavyweight in pivotal UFC 327 showdown
The UFC announced on Tuesday that Hokit (8-0) will face No. 5 Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight bout at UFC 327 in Miami. Blaydes returns to the cage after a split decision win over Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku last June.
Blaydes will look to put a stop to Hokit’s quick ascent up the heavyweight rankings as he looks to get back into the heavyweight title mix. He’s earned recent wins over Jailton Almeida, Chris Daukaus, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the Octagon.
Hokit vs. Blaydes was far from the only intriguing showdown booked for the upcoming UFC 327 card. The co-main event features UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, and the headlining bout for the event remains unannounced.
I like this fight but it might be too soon for Hokit. But it will be a banger for sure.
lol This is another reason why HW sucks.
They throw anyone who shows even the slightest potential to the deep end ASAP, killing them off more often than not.
Shit I thought they would give him tai, big step up
That would have been perfect!!
Hes a little cringy, but hes kinda funny though too.
Let em bang bro.
This speaks volumes on how bad its gotten.
Blaydes is going to destroy him. I guess waldo pussied out? Or theyd rather kill Hokit off and promote Waldo and not risk him losing to Hokit?
What fucking terrible match making…
Hocket has skills and a gimmick…
Idiots
Terrible, dumbass, matchmaking. I mean wtf is wrong with these retards? Plenty of top ten guys he could feast on before giving him a good wrestler that’s bigger than him. I still think Hokit can win but this is exactly how not to build a rising star and precisely why there’s virtually no one in the ufc under 35 that anyone cares about.
At least heavyweight boxing is looking promising lol.