Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight sluggers Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis will go to war this weekend (Sun., June 14, 2026) on the White House South Lawn from Washington, D.C., for UFC Freedom 250
.Like Colby Covington before him, Hokit is on the path to proving that one can simultaneously be a cringy meme fighter and genuine title threat. Obnoxious character work aside, Hokit took a massive step up in competition versus Curtis Blaydes in his latest appearance, and he rose to the occasion!
After less than a year on the roster, Hokit is ranked in the Top Five, seemingly destined for big things.
Lewis, meanwhile, has been here forever and is no longer at his best. You never quite know which “Black Beast” will show up: will the UFC’s reigning knockout king return or the tired big man who has to be careful sneezing because of his long-injured back? At 41, it’s a gamble, but Lewis has at least won two of his last three bouts. If nothing else, he remains dangerous.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Hokit vs. Lewis Betting Odds
- Josh Hokit victory: -430
- Josh Hokit via TKO/KO/DQ: +100
- Josh Hokit via submission: +330
- Josh Hokit via decision: +700
- Derrick Lewis victory: +300
- Derrick Lewis via TKO/KO/DQ: +380
- Derrick Lewis via submission: +4500
- Derrick Lewis via decision: +300o
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How Hokit Wins
Hokit’s approach to MMA is similar to that of Cain Velasquez. He’s not the biggest Heavyweight, but an elite wrestling background and deep gas tank has thus far allowed him to run roughshod over his competition. On the feet, Hokit’s offense is his best defense, as that smaller man hand speed routinely allows him to beat opponents to the punch.
I was surprised by Hokit’s approach against Blaydes. I expected him to struggle wrestling with the larger man, but instead, Hokit purposefully avoided wrestling exchanges. As a result of that choice, Hokit didn’t gas out too terribly, and his quick hands were the defining factor in that crazy three-round war.
That’s smart work from “The Incredible Hok.”
In this matchup, however, a return to his roots would be appropriate, especially considering all the damage absorbed in the Blaydes fight. Hokit does not want to absorb half as many shots in this fight, so getting to the wrestling early and often would be advisable. Lewis — like many other truly large Heavyweights — tends to struggle when forced to hop around on one leg. Hokit should showcase some wrestling finesse and work to off-balance Lewis to the canvas, then he can quickly wear the veteran down with his pace from top position.
How Lewis Wins
Lewis is very arguably the hardest hitter in UFC history. He’s not particularly great at anything on a technical level, yet Lewis has achieved a remarkable amount of success simply by hitting people very, very hard. An underrated aspect of Lewis’ historic success is that he doesn’t give up on himself. “The Black Beast” has scored many finishes late in fights when both men are horribly fatigued, yet he’s still throwing heat.
Does Lewis still have the mentality for such a comeback? Only he knows.
To win this fight, Lewis cannot match the pace of Hokit, nor can he hope to suddenly be a great defensive wrestler after all these years. Instead, Lewis needs to copy his own strategy from the Curtis Blaydes fight five years ago. In that bout, Lewis threw almost nothing. He barely moved. He stayed low in his stance, extremely reluctant to give up an easy takedown. As a result, he ate quite a few shots while biding his time, waiting for that perfect moment.
He found it in the form of a one punch uppercut KO. Against Hokit, Lewis will have to be similarly patient and observant, waiting for Hokit to grow overeager and expose his jawline.
Hokit vs. Lewis Prediction
I am not sold on Josh Hokit as an elite contender. We have yet to see him wrestle anybody particularly good, and I don’t see him having the defense or technical depth to box up a huge slugger like Sergei Pavlovich. Unfortunately, Lewis has declined significantly from his best days. His cardio and health are serious question marks, and I don’t trust his grit anymore.
If Hokit lands the early takedown, will Lewis give up? A decade ago, that was an unthinkable question. Now, Lewis accepting an early, relatively damage-free loss to ground strikes feels like the most likely scenario.
