Josh Hawkit announces betting company partnership, no Lewis-Costa fight

Josh Hawkit has signed a commercial partnership with an American sports betting exchange, his announcement confirmed on May 3, 2026 — a deal that generated premature speculation but contained no fighter news of any kind.

The announcement had circulated ahead of its release with rumors suggesting it might involve a matchup between Derrick Lewis and Paulo Costa, or news that Lewis had been pulled from a scheduled bout. Neither proved to be the case. The partnership is strictly a media and marketing arrangement, with behind-the-scenes content set to be filmed alongside Hawkit throughout fight week for the betting platform.

For those who had followed the speculation, both fighters remain in their respective positions in the rankings. Derrick Lewis, the 41-year-old heavyweight from the United States who trains at Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai, holds an 8th-place ranking at heavyweight with a professional record of 29-14-0. The six-foot-three knockout artist carries a 79-inch reach and has long been one of the division's most recognizable names.

Paulo Costa, ranked 13th at middleweight, carries a 16-4-0 record and is among the more aggressive strikers in the 185-pound division. The 35-year-old Brazilian out of Team Borracha stands six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and lands an impressive 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate.

Why it matters

• Speculation around the announcement briefly suggested a cross-divisional or novel matchup was in the works, which was not the case
• Lewis and Costa remain at their current divisional rankings with no confirmed opponent news attached to either fighter
• The commercial deal underscores the growing intersection of MMA media figures and sports betting platforms