UFC 334: Ciryl Gane defends heavyweight title against Josh Hokit

Ciryl Gane makes the first defence of his UFC heavyweight title on Saturday, November 14, headlining UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Across the cage is Josh Hokit, an American who is 10-0 as a pro and has gone from UFC debut to title shot in roughly a year. The main card starts at 9 p.m. ET.

A belt won at the White House

Gane chased this title for years. He lost to Francis Ngannou and then Jon Jones, and his 2025 fight with Tom Aspinall ended without a result after the Briton suffered an eye injury. On June 14, 2026, at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn, Gane stopped Alex Pereira in the second round to win the interim belt. Aspinall, still not cleared to fight because of the eye, later vacated the title, and the UFC promoted Gane to full champion after a few days of confusion over his status. He is 14-2 with one no contest.

Hokit made his name in April in Miami at UFC 327, beating Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision in a bloody slugfest that several US outlets listed as a Fight of the Year contender. A former wrestler, he plays the villain and went after Gane's mother during the build-up.

Gane stays calm

At Wednesday's media day, the Frenchman kept his cool. In his view, Hokit "pretends he's a clown" but is a smart athlete who should not be underestimated. Gane said the trash talk will not get into his head and that he still expects a rematch with Aspinall once the Briton recovers. At Thursday's faceoff after the press conference, Hokit showed up in goggles and kept needling the champion. Sportsbooks list Gane as the favourite.

The co-main event pits bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medallist, against Amanda Nunes, who returns after three years in retirement. It is Harrison's first fight since neck surgery. The main card also features Caio Borralho against Yousri Belgaroui at middleweight and Uroš Medić against Kevin Holland at welterweight. On the prelims, Stephen Thompson faces Charles Radtke in the last fight of his career, a retirement he announced in advance.

Official weigh-ins take place on Friday morning in New York, followed by the ceremonial weigh-ins at the Madison Square Garden theatre. A win would put the Aspinall rematch, which Gane says he is waiting for, back on the table.