Dana White shared the story of how the UFC organized an additional fight for the upcoming White House event within just one hour during UFC 327. White asked Derrick Lewis if he wanted to compete at the White House event, and Lewis immediately agreed, telling White to thank the president. White instructed matchmaker Mick Maynard to find an opponent for Lewis, initially planning to finalize it the following week. However, when Joe Rogan mentioned the White House card during the UFC 327 broadcast and asked if there was room for more fights, White realized they needed to act immediately. He sent Maynard to speak with Josh Hockit, who was being loaded into an ambulance at the time, and Hockit agreed to compete at the White House event.
Dana White revealed during the UFC 327 broadcast how the UFC scrambled to book an additional fight for an upcoming White House event in just under an hour, with heavyweight Derrick Lewis at the center of the story.
White approached Lewis about competing at the White House card, and Lewis agreed on the spot, reportedly telling White to pass along his thanks to the president. White then directed matchmaker Mick Maynard to find a suitable opponent, with the plan to lock it in the following week. That timeline collapsed quickly when Joe Rogan brought up the White House event during the UFC 327 broadcast and asked whether more fights could be added. White recognized the moment demanded immediate action and sent Maynard to find an available opponent then and there.
Maynard tracked down Josh Hockit, who was in the process of being loaded into an ambulance at the time, and Hockit agreed to take the fight on the spot, completing the booking within roughly one hour.
Lewis, known as The Black Beast, enters the bout ranked eighth in the UFC heavyweight division. The 41-year-old American out of Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai carries a professional record of 29 wins and 14 losses. Standing six-foot-three with a 79-inch reach, Lewis is one of the most recognizable figures in the division and among the most dangerous knockout artists in heavyweight history, averaging 2.46 significant strikes landed per minute at a 49 percent striking accuracy.
Why it matters
- Lewis at 41 remains ranked inside the heavyweight top ten, meaning a strong performance keeps him relevant in divisional contention
- The unconventional, last-minute nature of the booking adds an unusual backdrop to what is already a high-profile event setting
- Hockit accepting the fight under those circumstances sets up an intriguing stylistic test for Lewis against a presumably fresh opponent booked on short notice
