Dustin Poirier likes what he sees in Josh Hokit.<\/p>\n
This past Saturday\u2019s UFC 327 event featured a star-studded lineup and results to match, with Carlos Ulberg scoring one of the most dramatic knockouts of the year against Jiri Prochazka to claim a vacant light heavyweight title, Paulo Costa upsetting the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov, and the legendary Cub Swanson having his hand raised in his final fight.<\/p>\n
But the most talked-about fighter at the end of the evening might have been Josh Hokit. In just his third UFC fight, Hokit out-brawled perennial heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes en route to a thrilling decision win, and also earned Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards to collect a cool $200,000 in bonuses. On the UFC\u2019s About Last Fight<\/a> show, Dustin Poirier credited Hokit for stealing the show, going as far as to say the 28-year-old is following the same path as UFC superstar Conor McGregor.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, when stars start to align\u2014you\u2019ve seen it in Conor\u2014when you talk the talk and walk the walk, you\u2019ve seen \u2018Sugar\u2019 Sean [O\u2019Malley], you\u2019ve seen Chael Sonnen, we\u2019ve seen it time and time again where guys talk the talk and then they walk the walk. And he just did it this week.<\/p>\n \u201cHe talked a big game and he went out there and put on one of the best heavyweight fights we\u2019ve seen and got his hand raised. Good things happen. You become a star.\u201d<\/p>\n When the UFC updates its official rankings Tuesday, Hokit will vault into the top 10 with his win over Blaydes (No. 5 heading into UFC 327). It\u2019s been a rapid rise up the ranks for \u201cThe Incredible Hok,\u201d who made his pro debut in 2023 and was signed off of Dana White\u2019s Contender Series less than eight months ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s crazy the timespan he\u2019s made all this happen,\u201d Poirier said. \u201cI saw a stat earlier today, Curtis Blaydes was fighting Francis Ngannou in the UFC a year before [Hokit] made his mixed martial arts debut. To come this far in that short a time is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n