UFC 334 Sets Gane Against Hokit in New York Title Bout
Josh Hokit challenges Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight belt on Saturday, while Kayla Harrison defends her bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes at Madison Square Garden.
By Abigail Brooks ·
The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden this Saturday for its annual November event.
The fight card features two championship bouts that will determine the top of two divisions. Ciryl Gane defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit. Kayla Harrison defends the women's bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes.
Gane holds the belt after Tom Aspinall vacated the position following eye surgeries. The 36-year-old Frenchman faces questions about his conduct in the cage. His last two fights against Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira involved controversies over eye pokes and strikes to the back of the head. Opponents including Junior dos Santos, Tai Tuivasa, and Jon Jones have accused him of using intentional fouls. Gane maintains he is not a dirty fighter, but a clean win over Hokit would settle the debate.
Hokit arrives as a 10-0 fighter who made his UFC debut just over a year ago. He was an All-American wrestler and NFL practice squad member before joining the promotion. His persona in the Octagon is aggressive. Last week, he released a rap track called MSG Freestyle aimed at the division. A victory would make him a strong candidate for the 2026 fighter of the year award.
The co-main event pits two champions from different eras against each other. Nunes returns from a three-year retirement to challenge Harrison for the bantamweight belt. They are former teammates at American Top Team. The fight was originally scheduled for January but was delayed by ten months. Harrison is 19-1 and has won Olympic gold medals in judo. She has also won two PFL lightweight tournaments.
Harrison is unsure if this will be her final fight. She recently underwent neck surgery that delayed this matchup. She has stated she is satisfied with her career achievements. A major physical challenge remains the weight cut. She competed at 172 pounds in judo and 155 pounds in most of her MMA career. She will cut to 135 pounds for the fourth consecutive time this week.
Yousri Belgaroui tests his middleweight skills against Caio Borralho. The 34-year-old Dutch kickboxer has finished all three of his UFC fights by TKO. He trains with Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira in Connecticut. Borralho is 8-1 in the UFC and has wins over Abus Magomedov, Jared Cannonier, and Reinier de Ridder. This bout serves as a step up in competition for Belgaroui.
