For Curtis Blaydes and Josh Hokit, UFC 327 carried on well beyond the cage, straight into an ambulance ride that somehow matched the chaos of the fight itself. Over three rounds in Miami, the two heavyweights combined for over 350 strikes, an unusually high output for a division that typically slows down after the first round.

Blaydes, known for his wrestling-heavy approach, didn’t use it a lot. Instead, he stood and traded. And that decision turned the fight into one of the wildest heavyweight bouts in recent memory. The two even set a new heavyweight record for most combined punches landed at 351. By the time it ended, both men needed immediate medical attention. Reports revealed Blaydes had suffered a fractured orbital bone and a broken nose. Hokit was also checked for multiple injuries, including a possible concussion.

That alone gives you an idea of what they went through in those 15 minutes. But it’s what happened next that stood out. Speaking on a recent Twitch stream, Curtis Blaydes described a moment that most fans never get to see.

“We both, obviously, we both was in the ambulance,” the heavyweight star said. “We both got taken to the nearest hospital, which is like a half hour away. And as we’re being brought in on the gurney things, he’s behind me.

“I’m not able to look behind me. Cause if you’ve ever been on the gurney, it like, it blocks you from looking behind you. But I can hear him going, ‘Blaydes, why didn’t you just give up? F—.‘  That’s what I think he said, but again, I got hit a lot….so…”

“Definitely woulda made things way more simple…” Hokit responded on X to Blaydes’ story.

It’s half joke, half-truth. Because if either man had taken a step back, slowed the pace, or played it safe, the fight probably would have looked very different. But they didn’t. Curtis Blaydes even admitted afterward that he might have been better off using his wrestling more, but in the moment, he “saw a lot of opportunities to punch him,” so he kept going.

That decision cost him a win on the scorecards. For Curtis Blaydes, the injuries will likely slow things down, but the performance keeps him relevant in a division that’s been searching for consistency.

As for Josh Hokit, he walked away with the win, improving his record to 9-0, and is now ranked No. 5 in the heavyweight division. And according to Dustin Poirier, ‘The Incredible Hok’ might be following Conor McGregor’s path in the UFC after his performance at UFC 327!

Dustin Poirier backs Josh Hokit’s ‘star-making’ performance against Curtis Blaydes

That comparison to ‘The Notorious’ doesn’t come lightly, and Poirier didn’t frame it as hype. He framed it as a pattern the UFC has seen before. Speaking on ‘About Last Fight’, Dustin Poirier pointed to a specific formula for success in the promotion.

“When stars start to align, you’ve seen it in Conor (McGregor), when you talk the talk, and you walk the walk,” the Louisiana native shared. “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.”

All through fight week, Hokit leaned into his persona. He taunted Blaydes, stirred reactions through his antics, which included an impromptu dance for the Octagon girls, and he even inserted himself into conversations around other fighters on the card. It didn’t land with everyone. In fact, a lot of fans pushed back on it. But then came fight night.

Against a proven contender like Curtis Blaydes, Hokit didn’t fold. He kept the same energy, the same pace, and delivered across three rounds. That’s why ‘The Diamond’ brought up names like McGregor, Sean O’Malley, and Chael Sonnen. Fighters who built attention outside the cage, then validated it inside.

And the UFC didn’t wait to capitalize on that. Hokit received two bonuses for the fight and an immediate booking against Derrick Lewis on the White House card. That’s a fast track, especially just three fights into his UFC run.

So where does that leave this story? Curtis Blaydes proved he still belongs amongst the elites at heavyweight. Josh Hokit proved he might be more than just hype. While the fight proved Blaydes’ durability, it launched Hokit into a new stratosphere, leaving the division to grapple with whether it just witnessed the birth of a star or simply a memorable, one-night war.