Josh Hawkit's recent announcement was not about a Derrick Lewis fight being cancelled or a Paulo Costa matchup as initially thought. Instead, Hawkit announced a partnership with an American sports betting exchange. The collaboration will feature behind-the-scenes content with Hawkit throughout fight week. There is no actual fight announcement or cancellation involved in this story. The post clarifies the confusion that emerged from the original announcement.
A recent announcement from Josh Hawkit that sparked speculation about a potential fight between Derrick Lewis and Paulo Costa has been clarified — it was a business partnership deal, not a fight booking.
Hawkit announced a collaboration with an American sports betting exchange. The deal will include behind-the-scenes content featuring Hawkit during fight week. No fight has been scheduled, cancelled, or negotiated between the two fighters, and the confusion appears to have stemmed from how the original announcement was framed.
For those unfamiliar with the two names that circulated in the initial wave of speculation, Paulo Costa is a 35-year-old Brazilian middleweight ranked 13th in the UFC's 185-pound division. Fighting out of Team Borracha, "The Eraser" carries a professional record of 16-4 and is one of the more aggressive strikers in the division, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate.
Derrick Lewis, meanwhile, competes at heavyweight, where the 41-year-old American sits ranked eighth. Training out of Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai in the United States, "The Black Beast" holds a 29-14 record and stands six-foot-three with a 79-inch reach. Lewis lands 2.46 significant strikes per minute, and like Costa, has never recorded a submission attempt in his UFC career.
Why it matters
- The original post created genuine confusion about a potential cross-divisional or catchweight matchup between two recognizable names
- No rankings implications exist from this story, as no fight was ever in play
- Both fighters remain available for actual matchmaking in their respective divisions
