Josh Hokit did not blink when requested in regards to the UFC abruptly pivoting away from a possible combat of the 12 months contender towards Curtis Blaydes to face Derrick Lewis on the White Home on June 14th.
Clearly each combat entails danger, however Hokit absorbed numerous injury in his three-round combat with Blaydes and is preventing once more simply two months later, incomes him a spot on maybe the largest card in UFC historical past. Blaydes, who has fought each males prior to now, admits Hokit positively shocked him in a back-and-forth battle, however warns the ever-outspoken heavyweight towards at all times welcoming such fights as they may ultimately come again to hang-out him.
That is why Brees maintains that Hokit might in the end be higher off at 205 kilos.
“He is obtained a great younger chin,” Blaydes informed MMA Preventing about Hokit. “Should you do this three or 4 instances, that chin will go away. I do not suppose he’ll do this many instances at heavyweight. He may need served higher if he went right down to gentle heavyweight as a result of they do not hit as exhausting. Yeah, he He is quick, however he has wrestling. Particularly if he desires to combat the identical means we did now, like if he makes use of extra wrestling and depends on it, yeah, however, once more, he is just a little heavyweight.
“I am pondering long-term. If I had been his supervisor or his brother or no matter, anybody in his circle, I’d severely speak about doing it for a 12 months, however fascinated about transferring right down to gentle heavyweight.”
That stated, Blaydes actually sees a path to victory for Hokit towards Lewis contemplating the trajectories their respective careers have taken of their latest fights.
Whereas Hokit nonetheless boasts an undefeated file within the UFC, Lewis is now 41 years previous and is simply 3-5 in his previous eight fights contained in the Octagon. Blaydes is aware of from private expertise how a lot it prices to underestimate Lewis, however he does not know if “The Black Beast” remains to be the identical fighter he was once they first met in 2021.
“Hokit will take part (within the recreation), however his jaw will not be one hundred pc,” Blaydes stated. “It is scary to play towards a man like Derrick Lewis, however Derrick Lewis simply fought Waldo (Cortez Acosta) and he appears like he is misplaced his motivation. Should you get Derrick Lewis and you do not fear about it an excessive amount of and you may simply beat him at will, I believe he can win like that.”
“But when he will get a motivated Derrick Lewis who’s going to return in for a giant, heavy knockout…I am forwards and backwards as a result of I do not know what model of Derrick Lewis we’ll get. If I’ll get the model that I needed to combat, I’ll choose Derrick. But when I’ll get the model that confirmed up towards Waldo, I’ll choose Hokit.”
If Hokit wins, he might be knocking on the door for heavyweight title competition. That is as a result of he is already turn out to be some of the talked about and polarizing fighters on your complete UFC roster, constructing a powerful resume within the course of.
However Blaydes is not able to crown Hokit as a future champion simply but, given his restricted exercise in comparison with different high heavyweights within the UFC.
“Not but,” Blaydes stated of Hokit. “We had an excellent match, however fashion dictates the matchup. Can he do it towards (Alexander) Volkov? Can he do it towards Derrick Lewis? We’ll see. Can he do it towards Waldo? Waldo is only a barely smaller, youthful model of Derrick Lewis, so I consider he’ll beat Waldo, however we do not know. We do not have sufficient info. It is all hypothesis.”
“I am not keen to ensure that. Does he have an opportunity? Sure, in fact, however I am not 100% guaranteeing it.”
