Ciryl Gane defends the undisputed UFC heavyweight title for the first time Saturday at UFC 334, and the man across from him is Josh Hokit, a former NFL player who has been in the organization for exactly one year and hasn’t lost a fight since his pro debut in 2023. Madison Square Garden hosts, and the co-main is the kind of fight that would headline most cards: Amanda Nunes, back from retirement, challenging Kayla Harrison for the bantamweight title.
Gane, 36, got the undisputed belt in September without throwing a punch. Tom Aspinall vacated after complications in recovering from an eye injury, which he suffered in their October 2025 fight. That bout was ruled a no-contest. Gane then beat Alex Pereira for the interim title at the UFC’s White House event in June, and the plan was an Aspinall rematch for the undisputed strap. When Aspinall still couldn’t go, the Frenchman was upgraded. It’s the first undisputed title of his career after losses to Francis Ngannou in 2022 and Jon Jones in 2023. He has won 14 of his 17 fights since debuting in 2018, seven by knockout, and Yahoo Sports lists him as the favorite.
Hokit, 28, is ranked fifth at heavyweight. He debuted last November and went 4-0, most recently beating Derrick Lewis in June. His overall run is 10 wins in 10 fights, six by knockout. He also talks, a lot, and often in character, a Colby Covington-style approach that has drawn real backlash. He was accused of racially aggravating and misogynistic remarks in his post-fight interview at UFC 324 in January. After he aimed misogynistic comments at former First Lady Michelle Obama in June, Dana White called his words “gross”, “moronic”, and “inappropriate”.
Nunes vs. Harrison
This one was supposed to happen in January before Harrison hurt her neck. Now it’s here, and it’s personal in an odd way: the two are friends and former American Top Team teammates, and Nunes left the gym in 2022.
Nunes, 38, retired in 2023 after defending the bantamweight title against Irene Aldana, vacating the belt and walking away with a 23-5 record and 13 knockouts. She’s the only woman to hold UFC titles in two divisions at the same time, and she still owns the bantamweight records for wins (13), finishes (eight), and longest win streak (nine).
Harrison, 36, took the title from Julianna Pena last year in only her third UFC fight, after two PFL lightweight titles. She’s 19-1, with the lone loss to Larissa Pacheco in 2022, and she’s favored here in her first defense.
The rest of the main card has Caio Borralho vs. Yousri Belgaroui at middleweight, Uros Medic vs. Kevin Holland at welterweight, and Bilal Hasan vs. Luis Gurule at flyweight. The prelims open with Stephen Thompson against Charles Radtke, Drew Dober against Scotland’s Chris Duncan, Jim Miller against Terrance McKinney, and Donte Johnson against Cesar Almeida. Prelims start at 7 p.m. ET (midnight GMT), the main card at 9 p.m. ET, and the main event should land around 11:30 p.m. ET.
My take: Gane’s footwork and kickboxing should give a 10-fight pro real problems over five rounds, and I’d want to see Hokit find a way inside before I bought the upset. The fight I’ll be standing for is Nunes vs. Harrison, though. Harrison is favored, and I get it, since Nunes hasn’t fought since 2023. But Nunes made a career out of making favorites look slow, and if her hands are still sharp in Round 1, those odds are going to look silly.
