Josh Hokit defeats Curtis Blaydes to land top five spot in heavyweight classic at UFC 327

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Josh Hokit defeats Curtis Blaydes to land top five spot in heavyweight classic at UFC 327

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Donagh Corby | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 9:34 AM ET

Josh Hokit closed out his comical fight week in Miami with a unanimous decision win in a bloodbath three-rounds against Curtis Blaydes that will go down in history.

The former NFL star introduced fans to the ‘Down Vato’ and ‘Incredible Hok’ characters throughout a headline-grabbing press conference, media day and ceremonial weigh-in. And after a wacky week, he had to deliver on the night as he took a massive step up to take on the UFC’s number five heavyweight.

Hokit went from a relative unknown with just two previous UFC fights to one of the most divisive figures on the roster with his behaviour. And he did just that with one of the greatest heavyweight fights of all time in MMA that will now land him in the top five after just three octagon outings.

Josh Hokit vs Curtis Blaydes UFC 327 result

With less than six minutes of octagon time to his name since signing from Dana White’s Contender Series, former NFL player Josh Hokit made a monumental step up tonight. Curtis Blaydes had been ranked in the UFC for years before his opponent even made his fighting debut.

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Hokit was famously a two-sport athlete in university, wrestling to an All-American level as well as playing football. A massive 28lb separated the two, with Blaydes also holding a three-inch height advantage and a whopping seven-inch reach.

The pair sprinted out of the traps with Hokit landing a big right hand early. Blaydes was unable to score the takedown, but did manage to rock his rival with a shot of his own before being rocked by a big right hand.

Mercifully, Blaydes managed to take Hokit down amid an onslaught of punches, but it didn’t do much as the former footballer turned it around. The second takedown was seemingly better for the former title challenger, but he was unable to do a great deal with his control.

And halfway through, Blaydes brutally rocked Hokit and unloaded in a desperate effort to find the finish. Somehow, the prospect managed to survive to the second as he continued to make explicit gestures towards his opponent.

After an impressive start to the second for Blaydes, Hokit managed to pull a combination out of nowhere to almost force a finish of his own. But when he didn’t get it, the more experienced fighter managed to regain his dominance.

For the first time since his MMA debut, Hokit was brought into the third round and looked incredibly tired as both men looked up at the clock. And somehow the pair made it to the final bell, with the outlandish character being brought the distance in an all-time classic.

Hokit won 29-28 across the board on the judges’ scorecards, before somehow cutting a pre-planned promo to Joe Rogan despite his exhaustion. He finished it off with a callout of Alex Pereira, who could be a very real potential opponent as he fights for interim gold at UFC White House.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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