UFC Freedom 250: Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis Preview & Prediction
A heavyweight clash of eras, added at the watching President’s personal request, red-hot prospect Josh Hokit aims to extinguish the fading Derrick Lewis.
Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis facts
What time are Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Freedom 250? White House, Washington, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Freedom 250? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Freedom 250
What TV channel is UFC Freedom 250 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Freedom 250? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Freedom 250 card
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje (Lightweight)
Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane (Heavyweight)
Sean O'Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi (Bantamweight)
Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis (Heavyweight)
Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler (Lightweight)
Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight)
Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia (Featherweight)
Josh Hokit: Red-hot prospect who arrived overnight
Josh Hokit (9-0) has blasted from unknown to genuine contender in just three UFC outings, the last of which announced him to the world. At UFC 327 he dragged former title challenger Curtis Blaydes into what was, without a doubt, the fight of the year, and we’re only halfway through the year. The two combined for a three-round heavyweight record in significant strikes before Hokit walked away with the decision and $200,000 in bonuses. He’s a relentless, high-volume pressure striker with rare cardio for the division, but the foundation is wrestling, he’s threatened a takedown in every fight of his career, and that grappling base may well be his sharpest tool here. And one more note, he might be the biggest troll on the mic the UFC has ever seen.
Derrick Lewis: A faded boogeyman clinging to the puncher’s chance
Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (29-13, 1NC) is a two-time title challenger and the man with the most knockouts in UFC history, but those nights feel a distant away. Once the division’s ultimate boogeyman, capable of starching anyone on any given night, Lewis now looks a shell of himself. He now looks to be more of a gatekeeper of the better fighters at heavyweight. Lewis was stopped by Waldo Acosta earlier this year in alarming fashion, folding under minimal pressure. He still carries that legendary one-punch bomb, but he commits to his heavy strikes far less often nowadays, and increasingly looks like someone who’d rather be anywhere else.
Josh Hokit vs Derrick Lewis prediction
This would have been a more thrilling matchup a few years ago, but today, it’s a showcase. The Lewis we’re getting may turn up in better physical shape, but the menace is gone, he tries less, loads up that power shot less, and where he was once live in every second of a fight, now any knockout realistically has to come inside the first round. The gas tank and the will both tend to evaporate, exactly as they did against Acosta back in January, where he crumbled under a shot that barely landed clean.
Hokit turned the Blaydes fight into a striking war mostly because Blaydes’ elite takedown defence left him no choice, Lewis doesn’t offer the same problem. The smart play would be to show the striking up top, get Lewis worrying about what’s coming, then change levels for the shot, flatten him out, and pour on the ground and pound. Do that, and we likely see Lewis wave it early. The only real danger is Hokit getting greedy and turning it into a first-round firefight while Lewis is still fresh and dangerous.
Despite being a complete troll on the mic, Hokit isn’t that stupid. He shoots in every fight, and he’ll probably use his wrestling here to get the job done easily.
Prediction: Josh Hokit to win by KO/TKO in round one
