Crosby hypes Hokit
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby called rising fighter Josh Hokit his “new favorite” after Hokit produced a standout moment at UFC 327. (The shout‑out amplified the viral buzz around Hokit after the Miami card.) (x.com)
Maxx Crosby boosted Josh Hokit’s post-fight surge on Sunday, calling the unbeaten heavyweight his “new favorite” less than a day after UFC 327 in Miami. (x.com) Hokit beat Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision on April 11 at Kaseya Center, with all three judges scoring it 29-28. ESPN’s fight log lists the win as Hokit’s first decision and moves him to 9-0. (espn.com) The bout had been a major step up for Hokit before the cage door closed. UFC billed Blaydes as the No. 4 heavyweight contender when it finalized the Miami card on March 24. (ufc.com) By Saturday night, the matchup had become the fight people kept talking about from UFC 327. MMA Fighting called it a potential Fight of the Year performance, and Yahoo Sports reported Hokit left the cage with a unanimous-decision upset over a former title challenger. (mmafighting.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The attention landed on a fighter who was not a conventional heavyweight prospect a year ago. Hokit fought at Fresno State in two sports, earning 2020 National Wrestling Coaches Association second-team All-American honors and later signing with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. (gobulldogs.com) (intermatwrestle.com) That background helps explain why a National Football League star’s endorsement traveled so fast. Crosby is one of the Raiders’ most visible players, and his post connected two fan bases that already overlap heavily around combat sports. (x.com) Hokit had already drawn attention before the fight, though not all of it was favorable. MMA Junkie and Bloody Elbow both documented criticism of his UFC 327 media-day antics in the week leading up to the Blaydes bout. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) (bloodyelbow.com) The win changed the conversation quickly. ESPN now lists Hokit’s next fight for June 14 in Washington against Derrick Lewis, a booking made hours after the Miami card. (espn.com) Crosby’s line did not create Hokit’s moment, but it gave the aftermath a louder second wave. Twenty-four hours after UFC 327, Hokit had a win over Blaydes, a 9-0 record, and a public nod from one of the National Football League’s biggest defensive stars. (x.com) (espn.com)
