Dana White watched the same 25 minutes as everyone else at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and he came away with a wider card than the judges did. At the UFC 334 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO said he scored Ciryl Gane’s heavyweight title defense against Josh Hokit four rounds to one for the champion. “I had it 4-to-1,” White said, according to Heavy’s report on Yahoo Sports. All three official judges saw it 48-47 for Gane, which made it a unanimous decision and kept the belt with the Frenchman.
White also allowed that the numbers on paper left something out. He pointed out that the judges had it 2-2 going into the fifth round, said he didn’t score it that way, and then added: “You have to see the fight to believe it.”
The more striking part of the night was how much White softened on Hokit, a fighter he has openly said he doesn’t care for. “I thought this guy was a big-mouth goofball and I hated his schtick and the whole thing,” White said, per Yahoo Sports. “I respect the s*** out of that guy [now]. He is the real deal. Stock went up with me.”
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White framed Hokit’s approach as the only realistic route against a heavyweight he described as moving like a middleweight. Hokit dragged Gane into a brawl from the opening bell, and White admitted the first round had him thinking the champion was in danger. “I was like holy shit, if he can keep this pace for five rounds, Gane’s in big trouble,” he said, per MMA Fighting. Gane, though, “looked his best in the fourth and fifth rounds,” in White’s words. He also noted this was Hokit’s first five-round main event. “The guy’s got an unbelievable chin, unstoppable cardio and I give him nothing but respect for the fight that he fought tonight,” White said.
The loss was the first of Hokit’s pro career, now 10-1 across 11 fights. The 28-year-old former NFL player joined the UFC a year ago and earned his title shot by beating longtime contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, the Lewis win coming at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June. That same card featured Gane’s win over Alex Pereira. Hokit’s run has come with plenty of controversy, including comments insulting former First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn. Saturday’s fight earned Fight of the Night, worth $100,000 to each man.
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Hokit has already called for an immediate rematch, which MMA Fighting reported is unlikely. White sounded warmer on a Hokit vs. Pereira booking, two men who have disliked each other since June but were cordial backstage. “That’s a fun fight now, right? We’ll see what happens with Pereira and go from there,” White said. Heavy noted Alexander Volkov as one of the heavyweights waiting for a shot. Former champion Tom Aspinall, who relinquished the title in September after eye poke injuries in his October 2025 fight with Gane, is still next in line according to White. “Our deal with him is: When you’re ready, call us,” White said.
My take: 4-1 is generous to Gane when three judges thought the fifth round decided it, but White’s read on the shape of the fight is right. A champion who looks his best in rounds four and five after eating that kind of early pressure deserves more credit than Gane usually gets. And I’ll admit I had Hokit filed under hype trains, with a year in the promotion and a record built fast. Five rounds with the champion in his first main event earned him a real fight next, and Pereira has to handle Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 next month before anyone can book it.
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