Curtis Blaydes reveals how Josh Hokit surprised him at UFC 327

Curtis Blaydes recently took some time to sit down and rewatch his classic fight with Josh Hokit, and he shared the experience with his fans.

Blaydes, one of the UFC’s longest tenured heavyweight contenders, met Hokit at UFC 327 in Miami earlier this month. Despite the fact that Hokit was just 2-0 in the Octagon ahead of time, he ultimately defeated Blaydes by decision. That being said, Blaydes had plenty of success in the fight himself, giving it as good as he took it in a Fight of the Night winning war.

It has frequently been called on of the greatest heavyweight fights in UFC history.

Josh Hokit caught Curtis Blaydes off guard at UFC 327

😬🔥 Curtis Blaydes watches replay of his fight with Josh Hokit and gives his comments:

“We were expecting him to sprint for wrestling. I ain’t gonna lie, I didn’t expect him to stand and bang like this.”

🎥 @RazorBlaydes265 pic.twitter.com/WTYzb0JXzG

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 20, 2026

During his first rewatch of the fight, Blaydes revealed that he was surprised Hokit was so willing to strike. He believed he was in for more of a wrestling match.

“We was expecting him to sprint, but we was expecting him to sprint into the wrestling,” Blaydes said on a stream. “I ain’t gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting him to stand and bang like this. Once it started happening, I got the bloodlust and I was like ok.”

Blaydes actually seemed close to finishing Hokit a couple of times. However, referee Herb Dean never waved the fight off, and in hindsight, Blaydes is not surprised.

“[At one point] I could feel Herb behind me,” he said. “I was like ‘oh shit, we’re about to get the finish.’

“You’ve got to remember this is Herb. Herb will let you die. Herb was going to let Hokit die. He did, and it led to us having a great fight.”

Despite Blaydes’ strong effort, the judges ultimately gave the fight to Hokit. Blaydes admits that surprised him in the moment. He thought he had done enough to win.

“I thought I was going to win,” he said. “I thought I had it.”

He added that he believed Hokit’s activity in the final 10 seconds may have been what ultimately swayed the judges.