UFC CEO Dana White has treated fight fans by adding the Derrick Lewis vs. Josh Hokit heavyweight matchup to the UFC White House card on June 14.
The fight materialized after US President Donald Trump, who was in attendance at UFC 327 this past weekend, questioned why one of his favorite fighters, ‘The Black Beast,’ was not fighting on the UFC Freedom 250 card. As a result, White called Lewis with a fight proposal, and the latter accepted in a heartbeat. Even Joe Rogan seconded this matchup.
Lewis is booked to fight undefeated heavyweight prospect Hokit, who improved to 9-0 after defeating Curtis Blaydes in what could be a contender for fight of the year.
Hokit put on an impressive display, as he pushed the pace from the opening bell and went blow-for-blow with Blaydes. His pre-fight antics, combined with his skill in the octagon, will surely make the 28-year-old one of the fan-favorites.
It is worth noting that Hokit was involved in a three-round slugfest with Blaydes and will only have two months to recover ahead of his next fight.
Dana White took Joe Rogan’s suggestion to make the fight
Dana White shared that Joe Rogan, who was present in the commentary booth, suggested Josh Hokit as a suitable opponent for the hard-hitting Derrick Lewis. White was clearly a fan of the idea and booked the fight in an instant. White said:
“I said Derrick, the President just asked me why you’re not on the card. Do you want to fight on the White House card? And he goes, ‘Of course, I do. Tell the President thank you, I want to do it.’ Then the Hokit fight plays out, he beats the No.5-ranked guy in the world, and Joe Rogan says, ‘Is there still room on the White House card?’ Hokit versus Derrick Lewis was just added to the White House card in the last ten minutes. President Trump built half of the fight, and Rogan built the other half.”
Check out Dana White’s comments below:
The surging contender will have the golden opportunity to establish himself as a top contender at heavyweight by defeating Lewis, who is the record holder for the most knockouts in the promotion’s history. Meanwhile, Lewis suffered a stoppage defeat against Waldo Cortes-Acosta in his previous outing and will look to get back to winning ways on June 14.
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