Rising UFC heavyweight contender Josh Hokit issued a statement after picking up a second-round knockout win over Derrick Lewis.

Hokit completely dominated this fight from the second the bell rang. In the first round, he hurt Lewis multiple times on the feet before taking him down to the ground and nearly tapping him with an armbar.

Then, in the second round, Hokit knocked Lewis down to the mat and then finished him with ground and pound to improve to 10-0 in his MMA career, including 4-0 in the UFC alone.

Josh Hokit Releases Statement Following UFC White House Win

After defeating Lewis at the White House, Hokit released a statement on his social media to his fans.

“Strong and Courageous. The only two reasons I joined this sport. If you exercise those every single day and back them up with hard work, the money and success will follow. I’m not here to be liked. I’m not here to be a role model. I don’t care. I’m here to succeed. I’ll do whatever it takes to get where I want to go, and if you don’t like it… Come beat me in a fight,” Hokit wrote on his Instagram.

For Hokit, this was another excellent performance, and it continues his fast ascent up the UFC heavyweight division ladder after he beat Curtis Blaydes in his last bout at UFC 327 in what was a Fight of the Year contender. Both Lewis and Blaydes are true staples of the UFC heavyweight division, so these are huge names for Hokit to add to his resume as he looks to continue rising the UFC heavyweight ladder and become a serious contender in the UFC’s heaviest weight class.

What’s Next for Josh Hokit After UFC Freedom 250?

If you ask Hokit, he would love to fight for the UFC heavyweight title in his next bout. But after Ciryl Gane knocked out Alex Pereira in the co-main event, the Frenchman will be the next one in line to face UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall later this year to unify the belts. That leaves Hokit in a situation where he will have to fight again to keep his name in the title talks.

Hokit could potentially fight Pereira, as he was talking tons of smack to him in the lead-up to this fight. But Pereira may choose to move back down to 205 lbs, which means Hokit would not be able to fight him.

Instead, there are top heavyweight contenders like Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov that are potential options for Hokit, as is Waldo Cortes-Acosta. All three of these men are ranked ahead of Hokit in the UFC heavyweight division rankings, so they all make sense for his next fight.

We’ll see who the UFC chooses to match Hokit up with, but clearly, he is a top heavyweight fighter who has the potential to be great in this sport. At just 28, he is one of the youngest and most talented heavyweights in the UFC, and he could be fighting for the belt next year.