Josh Hokit reveals how he found out about UFC White House fight, what he said to Curtis Blaydes at hospital

Josh Hokit left UFC 327 in April riding an all-time heavyweight war against Curtis Blaydes—a fight that set the record for most significant strikes landed in a three-round heavyweight bout with 354 combined. Immediately after his victory, exhausted and battered, he learned he would fight Derrick Lewis at a historic White House event in June, a matchup personally requested by President Donald Trump.

Hokit was still in a fog when the news reached him at the arena. "The tweety birds were circling my head from that fight," he told MMA Fighting, describing his dazed mental state. "I don't know if my ankle's broken and my jaw, my face hurts, and my hands hurt, and I was like, 'White House?' I don't even care if I'm cleared one week before. Let's find a way. Let's do it."

Hokit skipped post-fight media and was transported to a local medical facility alongside Blaydes. In the hospital, the two warriors briefly crossed paths. Hokit praised his opponent's durability, reflecting that something special—divine power, perhaps—kept Blaydes standing despite absorbing clean, precise punches throughout their battle. "He was just there. He wasn't going anywhere," Hokit said.

Looking back, Hokit sensed the fight might become a war. A week before heading to Miami, during a sparring session with coach Greg Jackson, he predicted exactly that based on instinct and film study. He noted that Blaydes' record for takedowns in the heavyweight division suggested elite cardio and mental toughness—a combination that historically correlates with the ability to sustain grueling exchanges. Hokit's intuition proved prescient.