Trump Gets Lewis Added to White House UFC Card
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- UFC added heavyweight Derrick Lewis to its June 14 White House card (UFC Freedom Fights 250) to face Josh Hokit, a booking announced by CEO Dana White just after Hokit's decision win over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in Miami.
- President Trump personally requested the matchup, leaning over to White during UFC 327 and asking why Lewis wasn't on the card; White then called Lewis, who accepted immediately.
- Lewis holds the most knockouts in UFC history at 16 and is a former title challenger, but is coming off a January knockout loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta — and was a glaring omission from the card's original March announcement.
- Hokit, a California heavyweight, is 3-0 since signing with the UFC in 2025 and was already competing on the UFC 327 card the night the Lewis fight was booked.
- Trump attended UFC 327 at the Kaseya Center and is a known Lewis fan, having called to congratulate the Houston-based heavyweight after a July fight.
Why it matters: The White House card is no longer just a Trump-branded event — Trump is personally curating its lineup in real time, overriding the UFC's original March booking. Lewis's inclusion over a prospect with 3-0 UFC record and a clean win that same night reflects the president's preference for the record-holding Houston heavyweight he already publicly roots for.
