Dustin Poirier had high praise for Josh Hokit after the heavyweight backed up a week of bold talk with a hard-fought win over Curtis Blaydes on the UFC 327 main card at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Hokit spent fight week in full character mode, taunting Blaydes as well as Carlos Ulberg and Jiri Prochazka before delivering in the cage and earning a total of $200,000 in bonuses for his performance.
Poirier drew a direct line between Hokit's approach and some of the sport’s biggest names. "When stars start to align, you've seen it in Conor (McGregor), when you talk the talk and you walk the walk," Poirier said. He later added, "You've seen it in 'Suga' Sean (O'Malley). You've seen Chael Sonnen. We've seen it time and time again where guys talk the talk and walk the walk, and (Hokit) just did it this week. He talked a big game and he went out there and put on one of the best heavyweight fights we've seen and got his hand raised. Good things happen, you become a star."
Following UFC 327, Hokit was immediately booked to fight Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 from the White House.
Hokit now stands at 9-0 in MMA and 3-0 in the UFC, while Blaydes holds a 19-6 MMA record with a 14-6 mark in the promotion. Lewis enters their upcoming clash with a 29-13 professional record and 20-11 in the UFC.
