The UFC added all-time knockout leader Derrick Lewis to its summer card at the White House, and according to UFC CEO Dana White, the move was requested by President Donald Trump.
Lewis will fight Josh Hokit in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Freedom Fights 250 on June 14, White announced Saturday, just moments after Hokit (8-0) defeated Curtis Blaydes (19-5) in a back-and-forth decision at UFC 327 in Miami.
According to White, Trump, who was in attendance at the Kaseya Center, asked earlier in the evening why Lewis was not fighting on the White House card. After the Hokit fight Saturday, White decided to make the matchup.
"I'm sure you guys just saw the Hokit fight," White said. "About an hour ago, the president leans over to me and says, 'Why is Derrick Lewis not on the White House card?' and I said, 'Hold on, Mr. President.' I stepped away and called Derrick Lewis and said, 'Derrick, the president just asked why you're not on the card. Do you want to fight on the White House card?' He said, 'Of course.'"
White said he then spoke with Hokit after his victory over Blaydes and quickly made the Hokit-Lewis fight for the White House card.
Lewis (29-13) was a glaring omission from the UFC Freedom Fights 250 announcement in March. President Trump is a known fan of the Houston-based heavyweight and famously called to congratulate him after a fight last July. Lewis is a former UFC title challenger who is coming off a knockout loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta in January. Lewis holds the most knockouts in UFC history at 16.
Hokit, of California, is 3-0 since signing with the UFC in 2025
