Josh Hokit faces Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on White House lawn

Josh Hokit keeps rolling. The red-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight prospect-turned contender continued his destructive run through the division tonight, stopping Derrick Lewis in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 live on Paramount+ on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., as UFC celebrated America’s 250th anniversary. Hokit showed patience in the opening minutes, […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Josh Hokit strikes Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Josh Hokit had little trouble remaining undefeated after dominating and finishing Derrick Lewis at UFC White House on Sunday. The always outspoken heavyweight was on the attack from the jump, taking Lewis down and brutalizing him on the ground. In the second round, Hokit was just toying with Lewis, constantly battering him with overhand rights that were landing at will. Finally, Hokit put together a great combination that just put Lewis down and the assault continued until the referee saved Lewis from further harm with the fight ending at 4:09 in the second round. JOSH HOKIT IS AN ABSOLUTE FORCE IN THE OCTAGON! He takes out Derrick Lewis in R2 for a massive win! [ #UFCWhiteHouse | LIVE ON @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/CPAP0tb9O9 — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 15, 2026 “I’m the man with the plan. The beast that’s ready to feast,” Hokit shouted following his win. “Now listen, Alex Pereira, I want to chama on your mama.” Prior to his callout, Hokit opened the fight with a series of kicks, going to the legs and then looking back up top to the head. Lewis was reserved just waiting for the moment to unleash while dealing a smaller but much faster heavyweight. A slick takedown from Hokit brought Lewis down to the ground as he began unleashing some nasty ground and pound. The punches kept slipping through Lewis’ defense as “The Black Beast” looked unable to do much of anything on the ground. A huge elbow from Hokit blasted Lewis, who was trying to get back to his feet but quickly got brought to the ground again as blood started streaming across his head from a cut. Hokit moved into the mount and continued unloading punches until he rolled for an armbar submission. Lewis did very little to defend but Hokit couldn’t extend the arm any further as time ran out in the opening round. On the restart, Hokit was tossing out a lead jab and he went for another takedown but this time Lewis hammered him with uppercuts to break free. Hokit followed up with a quick combination that tagged Lewis and put him on wobbly legs. Another right hand stung Lewis and Hokit smelled blood in the water. As Hokit pushed Lewis back against the cage, he was popping the knockout king with great dirty boxing and just punishing him with punches. Hokit moved forward and unleashed another combination that just crumbled Lewis to send him to the ground. Hokit continued hammering away until the referee had no choice but to stop the fight. Now 10-0 in his career with a 4-0 resume in the UFC, Hokit appears to be a legit threat at heavyweight, although Lewis definitely looked like he’s at the end of his career on Sunday. That said, Hokit definitely creates a lot of buzz when he fights and there’s only so many options left for him before he’s knocking on the door for a title shot in the UFC.

Josh Hokit remained undefeated with a dominant performance to beat Derrick Lewis on Sunday

Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis squared off in a Heavyweight bout earlier tonight (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House South Lawn from Washington, D.C., for UFC Freedom 250. In a sloppy scrap, Hokit dominated Lewis en route to a second-round knockout win. Hokit began the night with a middle finger as one might expect. The action […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: UFC Heavyweight fighters Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis face off during the ceremonial weigh-in during the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse ahead of the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on June 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on his 80th birthday on June 14, which the White House is calling "a once-in-a-generation celebration of the American fighting spirit." (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images) | Getty Images This is the UFC White House live blog for Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis, the main card heavyweight bout Sunday at the White House in Washington, D.C. Hokit vs. Lewis is a matchup of top 10-ranked heavyweights, with Hokit at No. 7 and Lewis at No. 15 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. It’s been a rapid rise to the top for Hokit (9-0), a former All-American wrestler and NFL hopeful, who turned his focus to pro MMA in 2023. So far, the results have been excellent for Hokit as he’s gone undefeated in nine pro bouts including his first three UFC fights after being signed off of Dana White’s Contender Series. Hokit has grabbed plenty of headlines with his over-the-top promotional antics, but more importantly, he’s delivered in the cage, including in his recent win over perennial contender Curtis Blaydes that saw the two throw down in one of the best fights of 2026. Lewis (29-13, 1 NC) can put a stop to the Hokit hype train with one big swing on Sunday. The UFC’s all-time knockout king, Lewis is always a threat to finish, even if he’s struggled to string together wins in recent years. Following a disappointing submission loss to Serghei Spivac in 2023, Lewis rebounded with a 3-1 run (all wins by knockout) before being finished himself by Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 324 in January. He’ll be looking to make Hokit UFC knockout No. 17. Check out the UFC White House live blog for Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis below. Preamble Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Official Decision Post-Fight

Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis face off at UFC White House