Heavyweight action has been added to UFC 324, which kicks off the UFC’s Paramount+ era next January.
Josh Hokit (7-0) vs. Denzel Freeman (7-1) joins a card headlined by Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, scheduled for January 24, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
News of the booking was first reported by MMA junkie. Hotkit later confirmed the match, adding his usual brash promotional style to the mix.
“So boring indeed, but every other guy turned me down and I wanted to be at UFC 324 so here we are, they forced him to sign the contract or else they would cut him as his final opponent… I’m helping the UFC with this, welcome UFC, ‘Hokit wrote on social media in response to a fan’s complaint that the promotion had paired him with a “boring heavyweight.”
Hotkit, who fought his way into the UFC Contender series by Dana White won his promotional debut earlier this year last month by knocking out BJJ expert Max Gimenis within a minute.
Prior to his fighting career, Hokit played professional football and briefly signed with the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. He was an All-American wrestler in college at Fresno State.
Freeman also joined the UFC in 2025, when the former LFA heavyweight champion defeated Marek Bujło by decision in his own octagon debut.
January’s UFC 324 features the following reported matchups so far:
- Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett — for the interim UFC lightweight championship
- Kayla Harrison (c) vs. Amanda Nunes – for the UFC women’s bantamweight
- championship
- Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Derrick Lewis
- Arnold Allen vs. Jean Silva
- Alexa Grasso vs. Rose Namajunas
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
- Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev
- Nikita Krylov vs. modest Bukauskas
- Alex Perez vs. Charles Johnson
- Josh Hokit vs. Denzel Freeman
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