Josh Howitt made headlines with an extremely unusual speech during a media day appearance ahead of his fight with Curtis Blaydes. The Australian heavyweight described a grotesque fantasy involving defeating Blaydes and creating a "human centipede" from top-ranked light heavyweight contenders. Specifically, Howitt stated he would take Blaydes' head and attach it to Alex Pereira's body, then connect the number three ranked fighter to the number two's body, and the number two's head to the number one, creating a chain he would walk on a leash in his yard. The bizarre rant drew comparisons to fellow eccentric fighter Jean Silva. Community reaction ranged from amusement to concern about what substances might have influenced the speech.
