Health permitting, Josh Hokit has earned himself a spot at the
UFC White House event. | Getty/UFC
At the request of President Donald Trump, the
UFC White House card will have one more fight than originally
anticipated.
UFC CEO Dana White announced on Saturday that Derrick
Lewis will square off against Josh Hokit
at the June 14 event. UFC White House takes place on the South Lawn
in Washington, D.C., and is headlined by a lightweight title tilt
pitting Ilia
Topuria against Justin
Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex
Pereira and Ciryl Gane
will vie for the interim heavyweight belt.
Just prior to the announcement, Hokit had emerged from a
three-round war against Curtis
Blaydes at UFC 327
with a unanimous decision triumph. “The Incredible Hok” is 9-0 as a
professional — including three triumphs in the
UFC. Blaydes was by far the most significant victory of Hokit’s
career to date, and the bout also stands out as a potential “Fight
of the Year” contender for 2026.
How It All Came Together
“What’s crazy is, organically, about an hour before [Hokit vs.
Blaydes], the president said to me, ‘Why is Derrick Lewis not on
the White House card?'” White said at the UFC 327 post-fight press
conference. “I said I’ll be back in five minutes. I went and called
Derrick Lewis. I said, ‘The president wants to know why you’re not
on the White House card.’
“Then, the Hokit fight happens. I have the head phones on and Joe
Rogan goes, ‘Is there another slot open on the White House card for
Hokit?’ I go,’ Holy s—t.’ I grab Mick and say, ‘Go back there and
talk and see if he’s in. Hokit was getting into an ambulance and
says yes.”
Hokit was taken to a nearby hospital immediately following his
victory over Blaydes. His potential availability for the UFC White
House card will become more clear in the coming days.
Lewis, meanwhile, is the UFC’s all-time knockout leader with 16.
“The Black Beast” last appeared at UFC 324, where he had a two-bout
winning streak snapped in a second-round TKO defeat against
Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
June 14th just got a jolt pic.twitter.com/OYnRBLfvcx
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
April 12, 2026