Josh Hokit says armbar on Derrick Lewis was 'just for fun'

Josh Hokit says he pulled back on an armbar attempt against Derrick Lewis because finishing the submission didn't feel right.

Hokit stopped Lewis in the second round at UFC White House earlier this month, but not before trying a late first-round armbar that looked loose and incomplete. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Hokit said the entry was clean but he never planned to crank it. "God forbid someone have a little fun in the cage," he said, per a clip Helwani posted. "I already have an armbar finish in my career, and I don't know, submitting Derrick at the White House—I don't think that would have sat right with me."

Hokit wanted knockout over submission at White House

Hokit added that he wanted to knock out the man with the most knockouts in UFC history rather than tap him. "I was going to see if he was just going to panic tap," he said. "I didn't want the fight to end like that, and I wanted to knock out the knockout artist."

Hokit earned his second pro win via armbar years ago, so the technique is in his arsenal. Sherdog noted that his sloppy execution raised questions at the time, but Hokit insists it was theatrics more than technical failure.

The knockout came one round later when Hokit dropped Lewis and finished him on the ground. No word yet on Hokit's next booking.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Josh Hokit claims he didn’t intend to finish Derrick Lewis with armbar