It’s time for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s annual November trip to
Madison Square Garden, topped by a compelling pair of title fights.
The heavyweight title picture remains unsettled, but Josh Hokit
has a chance to complete his sudden rise by taking the belt from
Ciryl
Gane. Meanwhile, the UFC
334 co-main event is the furthest thing from a meeting between
upstarts, as Kayla
Harrison defends against Amanda
Nunes in a potentially legacy-defining matchup. The rest of the
main card promises action: Yousri
Belgaroui seeks a breakthrough against Caio
Borralho, Uros Medic
and Kevin
Holland should deliver at welterweight, and flyweight prospect
Bilal
Hasan gets a potential showcase against Luis
Gurule.
Sherdog’s Tom Feely predicts Ciryl Gane and Amanda Nunes to win
UFC 334 title fights at Madison Square Garden
Odds: Gane (-230), Hokit (+190)
The UFC’s heavyweight championship lineage is in an odd place.
Francis
Ngannou left without losing his title in the cage. Jon Jones
retired without losing his, and his retirement never feels entirely
permanent. Tom
Aspinall vacated the belt while dealing with an injury. Then
there’s Ciryl Gane,
the reigning champion.
Gane’s rapid rise was deserved. Within two years of turning
professional, he looked like a top-five heavyweight. His size,
fluidity and athleticism left less-skilled opponents with few
answers to his striking.
That brought him to a title-unification fight against Ngannou in
early 2022, where poor decision-making contributed to a narrow
defeat. The first four rounds were competitive, but Gane
surrendered a promising position in the fifth to pursue a
low-percentage heel hook. When it failed, Ngannou controlled the
remainder of the round.
After Ngannou left, Gane appeared positioned to become the UFC’s
leading heavyweight. Instead, Jones took him down and submitted him
with a guillotine choke in just over two minutes. Gane’s reputation
has never fully recovered.
He is unbeaten in four appearances since, but two results
complicate his standing. Many observers considered his 2024
decision over Alexander
Volkov a robbery. His title fight against Aspinall last year
ended in a no contest after eye pokes left the champion unable to
continue. Gane did some effective work during the four and a half
minutes they fought, but the injury and its aftermath overshadowed
everything else.
Gane subsequently stopped Alex
Pereira for an interim title at
UFC Freedom 250 in June. A rematch with Aspinall seemed the
obvious next step, but Aspinall’s ongoing eye problems ultimately
led him to vacate the championship. With few fresh contenders
offering much star power, the UFC turned to Hokit, who has
certainly managed to stand out.
Hokit’s persona is best ignored. He might possess less natural
charm than Colby
Covington, and the act obscures a legitimate heavyweight
prospect still on the right side of 30. A former collegiate
wrestler who also played fullback, Hokit remains technically rough
but understands the value of relentless pressure. Whether striking
or wrestling, he rarely gives opponents room to settle.
The UFC threw him into the deep end against Curtis
Blaydes in April, despite his limited experience against
high-level opposition. The result was a surprising Fight of the
Year contender, with Hokit setting a torrid heavyweight pace and
Blaydes struggling to match it.
Facing Derrick
Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 felt like a step backward
competitively, but the win raised Hokit’s profile further. Now he
gets a title opportunity he could realistically convert.
Gane knows enough grappling to threaten opponents, but sometimes
just enough to get himself into trouble. He has secured heel hooks
and shown flashes of takedown defense, yet extended wrestling
exchanges often expose his decision-making. It is easy to imagine
Hokit applying enough immediate pressure to create those
problems.
Hokit may need an early finish, however. He completed three hard
rounds against Blaydes but was visibly tired late. For all Gane’s
shortcomings, he remains capable of dismantling an exhausted
opponent.
Gane’s composure has also faltered at times, but his movement and
technical striking should present a different challenge from those
posed by Blaydes and Lewis. That leaves questions about how well
Hokit’s rise translates to this matchup, even given the modest
standards of heavyweight contention in 2026.
This feels close to a coin flip, but the lean is toward Gane
surviving early trouble and taking over late. The pick is Gane by
fifth-round stoppage.
Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims