Josh Hokit made quite an impression with his breakout win in the UFC earlier this month.

It was his third fight in the Octagon, and he came away with a victory over Curtis Blaydes that really put him on the map in the heavyweight division.

His divisive pre-fight behaviour was followed by a thrilling contest that fans will remember for some time.

Next up, Hokit is set to face Derrick Lewis at an event hosted at the White House. It’s another big opportunity, but also one that comes with plenty of risk.

Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes kept the back-and-forth going even after their meeting in the Octagon at the Kaseya Center in Miami.

‘The Incredible Hok’ has built a reputation for trash talking his opponents both before and during fights, and this only added to what’s been a standout moment of the year so far.

But trying that approach against someone like Derrick Lewis is a different story, and Hokit’s coach Mike Winkeljohn isn’t shy about sharing his concerns.

Speaking on Submission Radio, he said: “Yes. Yes I am,” when asked if he’s worried about Hokit focusing more on entertaining than winning.

“Wrong time to prove how tough you are. We’ve got to get the W and win the easiest way… I just want the W, I don’t want the tough guy. The crowd loves it, everybody loves it but I don’t want to see him later on in life with brain damage, there’s no doubt about it.”

The addition of Lewis to the White House card might have come from Donald Trump’s influence, but Hokit’s showing in Miami earned him this spot on merit alone. Now there are expectations around what kind of fight fans will see from him.

Brawling with UFC’s knockout record holder isn’t exactly playing it safe. In that same interview, Winkeljohn mentioned coaching Marcin Tybura against Lewis back in 2018. They felt they were ahead until ‘The Black Beast’ turned things around with one shot, finishing Tybura in the third round.

Mike Winkeljohn told Submission Radio that he believes Josh Hokit’s trash talking allows him to play mind games and get his opponents to divert their focus away from their own performance.

Sometimes, those tactics can work, pulling fighters out of their rhythm either before or during the fight.

But in this case, Winkeljohn thinks the approach actually fired up Blaydes and helped him raise his game in Miami.

“With Curtis, I honestly believe it brought the best Curtis Blaydes out,” he said. “I think it might have almost backfired in many ways because I think Curtis was no way going to stop, he was so off at Josh and was upset with a lot of things or a little bit bugged, whatever the case is. So, it made for a great fight.”

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