UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes shared what rival Josh Hokit told him at the hospital following their war at UFC 327.
Blaydes and Hokit went toe-to-toe at UFC 327 this past Saturday night at Kaseya Center in Miami in what many fight fans have called one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. The two big men stood in the center of the Octagon and traded heavy blows for 15 minutes, with Hokit being declared the winner by unanimous decision after three rounds. The two fighters received the coveted “Fight of the Night” bonus for their efforts, earning both men an additional $100,000 in bonus money.
While Blaydes and Hokit did not see eye-to-eye in the lead-up to the fight, it’s all respect between the two men now that they have stood in the cage and shared their blood, sweat, and tears. To that end, Blaydes recently shared a humorous anecdote about what happened when he saw Hokit at the hospital following the fight.
“We were both in the ambulance, and we were both taken to the nearest hospital, which was like half an hour away. As we were being brought in on the gurneys, he’s behind me, I’m not able to look behind me, because if you’ve ever been on the gurney, it like blocks you from looking behind you. I could hear him going, ‘Blaydes, why didn’t you just give up? (Explative).’ Or at least, that’s what I think he said, but I got hit a lot,” Blaydes said.
While they were rivals leading up to the fight, it appears as though Blaydes and Hokit have put their bad blood behind them, as the two now have nothing but the utmost respect for each other.
Curtis Blaydes, Josh Hokit Break UFC Heavyweight Record For Strikes Landed
During their fight, Hokit landed 177 significant strikes, while Blaydes landed 174 significant strikes, according to UFC Stats. The fight set the new UFC heavyweight record for significant strikes landed in a three-round fight, and is the third-highest total of all time in any UFC weight class for a three-round fight.
Output like what Blaydes and Hokit put out is rare in any weight class, but particularly in the heavyweight division, where fights tend not to go the distance as often, leading to lower strike counts. Not only do you have to credit the cardio of both fighters for going hard for 15 minutes, but you have to credit both of their chins for holding up for the entire duration of their bout.
Josh Hokit Enters UFC Heavyweight Top-Five
Following the fight, the UFC rankings changed, and Hokit took Blaydes’ spot as the No. 5-ranked heavyweight in the promotion. Blaydes, meanwhile, dropped to No. 7.
Meanwhile, new UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg, who knocked out Jiri Prochazka in the main event, moved into the men’s top-15 pound-for-pound rankings.
As for what’s next for Hokit and Blaydes, Hokit already has his next fight booked against Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250, while Blaydes will take some time to rest and recover following this all-out war.
Curtis Blaydes Shares What Josh Hokit Told Him at Hospital Following UFC 327 War