Josh Hokit hasn’t had much time to recover from his last fight, and it’s starting to show as June 14 draws closer.
Hokit is set for his fourth UFC bout in less than a year, with the White House Lawn hosting another chance for him to build on what’s been a quick rise through the heavyweight ranks.
The UFC moved quickly to get Hokit on this card following what many are already calling one of the top fights of 2026.
But even though he’s had a couple of months to get ready for this one, that likely hasn’t been enough time for his body to fully recover from the hard-fought battle he had at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
Josh Hokit has been dealing with a sore hand since beating Curtis Blaydes
After trading 351 strikes over 15 minutes with Curtis Blaydes, Josh Hokit was left wondering how his opponent managed to make it through their hospital run-in without giving in.
Blaydes battled through a fractured orbital bone and nose to go the distance. Hokit later opened up about how he was feeling when he got the call to fight on June 14 right after his hand was raised.
“My body was in pain. I didn’t know if I had a concussion. I didn’t know if any of my bones were broken,” he said in a UFC on Paramount+ interview. “I know my hand was sore but I just knew I had to be on that card.”
“Yeah, I’m training,” he continued. “My hand’s sore but I got other limbs so I’m throwing more elbows now, I’m throwing knees. If my hand hurts, I’m going to hit him with anything else. That’s how you have to go about it in the fight game.”
Hokit’s coach is concerned about this matchup for good reason given his style of fighting and Lewis being such a powerful finisher.
The last thing ‘The Incredible Hok’ needs is another all-action brawl against someone who hits as hard as Derrick Lewis.
The damage taken from his last outing is still fresh, but that won’t affect Lewis’ approach heading into this bout.
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