Josh Hokit's heavyweight rise: substance or style?

Josh Hokit walked Curtis Blaydes through three rounds at UFC 327 on April 11, handing the veteran his second straight loss and cracking both his nose and orbital bone in the process. Blaydes, keeping his humor intact, posted afterward asking if they had "saved heavyweight." The answer, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto, is no — but the win raised bigger questions about what Hokit actually is.

The WWE promo shtick is working for now. Hokit is 3-0 in the UFC and earned a White House lawn date with Derrick Lewis on June 14 after the Blaydes performance. But the cringe routine only carries weight if the fighter behind it can hang with the division's top end. "If he keeps winning, the possibilities get a little wild," Okamoto wrote. "In MMA, a circus act can actually become more entertaining if it starts to consume legitimate opposition." If Hokit's ceiling sits at average, the antics turn into a liability. If he climbs toward title level, the persona could make him a star.

Gable Steveson's timeline and Netflix's heavyweight plans

The UFC signed Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson last week, less than a year after his MMA debut. Okamoto suspects the promotion moved early to avoid losing him but would have preferred more seasoning. Steveson stopped Hugo Lezama in February but looked raw doing it. His coach, former two-division champion Jon Jones, reportedly predicted a UFC title within a year — a timeline Okamoto called unlikely given the division's depth and Steveson's polish level. The UFC may debut him in July against a regional opponent or winless roster fighter to ease the transition.

Francis Ngannou co-headlines Netflix's May 16 MMA debut card against Philipe Lins. Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian told Sports Business Journal that strong numbers would lead to long-term MMA involvement, with Ngannou likely anchoring those plans. Ngannou told ESPN he wants five more years and would consider Jake Paul in MMA or a kickboxing rematch with Rico Verhoeven. The wilder scenario involves Netflix poaching a UFC heavyweight in free agency. Tom Aspinall's strained relationship with Dana White — stemming from comments about his eye injuries and the promotion's handling of the title once Jones retired — makes him an outside candidate. Aspinall recently signed with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, a signal of friction. Any attempt to exit his UFC deal would be the story of the year.

The June 14 White House event features an interim heavyweight title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. Aspinall resumed light training this month, according to Okamoto's report. The division has direction coming into view, but whether Hokit belongs in that conversation or just works as a sideshow depends on what happens when the stakes climb.

Source: espn.com