Derrick Lewis Hoping to Deliver Knockout Win vs. Hokit at White House

Derrick Lewis (29-13, 1 NC MMA, 20-11 UFC) is just days away from making his second walk to the fabled Octagon in 2026. He'll be looking to rebound from a defeat at the hands of Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in January at UFC 324 in Enterprise, NV.

Lewis absorbed heavy ground and pound shots from Cortes-Acosta inside the second round of a scheduled three, forcing referee Jason Herzog to halt proceedings. His next contest comes during the landmark UFC Freedom 250 on The White House grounds in Washington, DC, where Josh Hokit (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) provides the opposition.

This heavyweight contest wasn't even on the schedule for the June 14 event when the card was first announced on the evening of March 6. It wasn't until a month later, during UFC 327 in Miami, a card on which Josh Hokit won against Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision, that the tilt was added to the bout order at the insistence of President Donald Trump, who was in attendance that Saturday night.

Derrick Lewis on Being Notified of June 14 Fight

Recently, Lewis was a guest of MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, where the upcoming bout was discussed in an interview. "The Black Beast" talked about initially receiving the telephone call that he had been booked on UFC Freedom 250.

"I didn't know what was happening," Derrick Lewis began. "I thought one of my coaches died because everyone starting calling me but my coach and they end up calling my wife. I was just getting out the shower, so I'm coming out butt-naked and she said 'It's important that you call manager or whatever.'"

Upon Lewis' manager connecting with UFC CEO Dana White, Lewis was himself patched through to a conference call, at which point he officially learned of the Hokit booking.

What Went Wrong for Derrick Lewis at UFC 324

Also during the interview with Mike Heck, Derrick Lewis delved into the issues which plagued him on fight night back in January. He also mentioned that it's been a recurring issue for him.

"It was just my back gave out on me the night before the fight," he continued. "Usually, it happens the day before the fight. Most of the fights that I pull out of, it's because of my back and stuff like that. I didn't want to pull out of the fight."

Lewis told Heck that he was experiencing mobility issues as a result of his back pain and had problems with the weight cut ahead of UFC 324.

"I think it's because whenever I cut the weight that I cut, then afterwards, I rehydrate," he said. "I just rehydrated too much and I end up weighing damn near 300 lbs the night of the fight, even coming from 265, so I just gained weight too fast."

Derrick Lewis Forecasting Victory Over Hokit at UFC Freedom 250

Josh Hokit enters UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night having yet to lose so far in his career at 9-0. During the pre-fight press conference in Newark, NJ last month, Hokit found himself ejected from the stage and his faceoff with Derrick Lewis was cancelled due to his conduct.

However, Lewis isn't really offended by Josh Hokit's behavior. To him, what happens once the cage door closes is what matters the most, and he wants only one outcome in Washington on Sunday night.

"It all depends on how I knock this guy out," he said of Josh Hokit. "I believe I can   He gets hit a lot. I believe that he can't really take the type of stuff that I'm willing to give out. It's a cliche, I don't want to sound like a cliche, but this is really the best shape I've ever been in."