Curtis Blaydes isn’t giving Josh Hokit the attention he clearly craves ahead of their fight at UFC 327 on Saturday.
Ever since arriving in the UFC, Hokit has done his best to cut pro wrestling style promos before and after his fights, often times bordering on being flat out offensive whenever he opens his mouth. During UFC 327 fight week, Hokit already tried to start an altercation with main event fighter Jiri Prochazka and did the same talking trash to Carlos Ulberg when they passed each other in the host
hotel.
For his part, Blaydes knows exactly what Hokit is trying to achieve and that’s getting attention, which is why he’s not even bothering with him until the set foot in the octagon on Saturday night.
“No [I haven’t run into him] and I’m going to be honest, I don’t want to,” Blaydes said during UFC 327 media day. “He just wants the clips.
“Like I saw the one he did with Jiri [Prochazka]. He just wants people to see like ‘oh look, he’s talking shit to Jiri!’ Because Jiri is a professional. He’s not going to beat the shit out of you in the hotel lobby. Neither will I because we’re going to do it this weekend. Engaging with him right now or any day besides this weekend, waste of time.”
Blaydes believes Hokit is doing his best to mimic another famous trash talker from the UFC but his attempts have come up short.
Add to that, Blaydes doesn’t view Hokit as a very good fighter so he’s compensating his lack of skills by trying to be the most over-the-top lunatic on the entire roster.
“He’s doing the Colby Covington bit,” Blaydes said. “But I’ll give it to Colby, he was actually good. He was actually a really good wrestler, got better with the hands. He’s actually good. I don’t agree with him acting like that either but at least with him, he has something to stand on.
“Hokit, he knows he’s not going to be able to get paid off of his actual skill inside of the octagon. He’s like ‘OK, I’m going to be a personality.’ I’m going to be the guy when you interview him, ‘I say random shit’ and I guess if you want to be in that niche, that’s your niche but it’s not my thing. I’m not going to engage with it.”
Blaydes has largely avoided any ugly rivalries since he arrived in the UFC but he knows Hokit is doing everything possible to get under his skin.
So far, Blaydes has only been annoyed by Hokit’s antics but he expects the loud-mouthed heavyweight to really go on the offensive during the UFC 327 press conference on Thursday. He promises that he’s not going to take the bait but that doesn’t mean Hokit isn’t going to try.
“Right now, just slightly annoying but I’m sure after tomorrow when we do the presser, I’m not going to like him very much,” Blaydes said. “The UFC can just take my microphone. I’m not going to respond.
“That’s what he wants. He wants the views. He wants to get the viral [moment] like the [Conor] McGregor ‘who the f*ck is that guy?’ He wants that. I’m not going to give you what you want. I’m going to be dry. Very, very dry.”
When it comes to the actual fight, Blaydes doesn’t really view Hokit as a serious threat, which is why he’s convinced that his upcoming opponent is desperately trying to grab the spotlight now before they meet in the octagon.
“He’s a smaller version of [Jailton] Almeida,” Blaydes said about Hokit. “That’s essentially how I view him. He wants to grapple. He doesn’t want to really be on the feet at all. He doesn’t believe in his hands. He’s a small heavyweight. It’s hard to be a small heavyweight when you don’t have any hands.
“He really, really, he wants to be this guy, this personality guy. I think he’s doing it because he knows he’s not going to win and he’s like ‘how do I maintain a place in the UFC? I’ll be the funny guy.’”
Based on resumes, Blaydes was a little surprised the UFC even offered him Hokit in the first place, especially considering where they both sit in the heavyweight pecking order.
Blaydes is a perennial top five ranked contender with a pair of fights against current champion Tom Aspinall not to mention a long list of notable wins in the UFC. Meanwhile, Hokit is 2-0 in the UFC and he’s yet to face anybody even remotely comparable to Blaydes much less any ranked opposition.
But Blaydes isn’t viewing the matchup as a slight to him but rather that the UFC probably doesn’t enjoy Hokit’s behavior very much either and this is a good way to shut him up.
“I’m viewing it either the UFC really likes him or they really don’t like him,” Blaydes said. “I’m going to lean towards the latter, I don’t think they like him very much.
“I don’t want to say I’m a gatekeeper but if I am, I’m good at it. I know you’re not going to beat me unless you’re legit and I don’t think Hokit’s legit.”
