Paddy Pimblett came into UFC 327 hoping Curtis Blaydes would shut Josh Hokit up. He left it sounding like Hokit won him over the hard way.
Before the fight, Pimblett had no patience for Hokit’s act and made that crystal clear while talking on his YouTube channel. But after Hokit went three violent rounds with Blaydes and came out with a unanimous decision win, Pimblett changed his tune and admitted the performance earned real respect. It was the kind of fight that can do that to people. Hokit’s win over Blaydes at UFC 327 was already a huge result on paper. The way it happened gave it even more juice.
Pimblett’s pre-fight view of Hokit was not subtle.
“I don’t think everyone has ever been so behind Curtis Blaydes, everyone wants Curtis Blaydes to win this fight, this Hokit is an absolute tool, it’s like WWE s— and it’s f—king annoying,” Pimblett said.
He added, “I just hope Curtis knocks his arse out, lad, but everyone knows Blaydes is a wrestler so it wouldn’t surprise me if he takes him down.”
Every time Josh Hokit flipped off Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 🖕😳 #UFC327 pic.twitter.com/opawtX9GBV
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) April 13, 2026
Paddy Pimblett says Josh Hokit earned his respect at UFC 327
As the fight unfolded, Pimblett gave Hokit his due.
“You don’t see heavyweight fights like this, it’s a scrap, give Hokit his due, he’s gaining a lot of respect here,” Pimblett said.
He doubled down a moment later, saying:
“I’m gaining quite a bit of respect for him here, lad, to be honest. This is definitely Fight of the Night.”
That is a pretty sharp turn from calling someone an “absolute tool,” but Hokit and Blaydes gave him plenty of reason to change course. Their fight instantly landed in the Fight of the Year conversation, and it also pushed Hokit into a much bigger spotlight heading into his booked clash with Derrick Lewis on the White House card. That White House booking came quickly after the Blaydes war, which tells you how much heat Hokit picked up in one night.
Pimblett even admitted the heavyweight slugfest may have jumped ahead of his own UFC 324 war with Justin Gaethje in the Fight of the Year race.
“Me being Fight of the Year is in jeopardy here because this is an unbelievable fight… I did not expect this… Hokit is much better than I would’ve thought, much needed for the heavyweight division really,” Pimblett said.
He closed with:
“Hats off to him, I didn’t think he had that in him, well in Josh Hokit, you’ve just gained a lot of respect for me and I think you have from a lot of the MMA world.”
Hokit did not just beat Blaydes. He forced one of his loudest doubters to give him credit in real time, and that kind of swing says plenty about how wild the fight actually was.
