Ciryl Gane walked out of Madison Square Garden with his UFC heavyweight championship still in hand Saturday, but the loudest statement may have come from the man across the Octagon. Gane defeated Hokit by unanimous decision — 48-47 on all three scorecards — in a five-round main event at UFC 334, earning his second title defense. He had previously stopped Alex Pereira in the second round in June at the White House.
The victory moved Gane to 15-2, while Hokit fell to 10-1. But the scorecards told only part of the story. Hokit, 29, was a relative unknown when he entered the UFC just 15 months ago and had built his reputation largely on controversial, often ugly trash talk. Against Gane, he showed there was real substance behind the persona, pressing forward relentlessly, absorbing punishment, and winning over the New York crowd with his durability and aggression. He ended the first round with a huge slam and appeared to carry momentum through the second and third.
“I will rejoice in my suffering,” Hokit said in his postfight Octagon interview. “Suffering builds endurance. Endurance builds character. Character builds hope. I will never lose hope. I will be champion one day. You guys can kick me when I’m down, I’ll still break your f—ing leg.”
Gane, whose only losses have come to Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, credited Hokit for a difficult fight despite oddsmakers listing Gane as a clear favorite.
“All the people around the world [took him lightly], but not me,” Gane said. “This guy is a motherf—er. He did very well.”
According to UFC Stats, Gane outlanded Hokit 298-243 in total strikes, and their 541 combined strikes set a heavyweight bout record. Gane’s 237 significant strikes also broke the UFC heavyweight record. Much of that volume came from Hokit’s frantic pace, as he repeatedly ran at Gane and forced striking and grappling exchanges. Gane disrupted the pressure with jabs and body punches, but Hokit weathered the shots and kept coming.
UFC CEO Dana White said Hokit’s performance changed his opinion of him.
“There’s no doubt that Hokit’s stock goes up, even with me,” White said. “I thought this guy was a bigmouthed goofball, and I hated his shtick and the whole thing. I respect the s— out of that guy. He is the real deal.”
Gane’s championship experience showed in the final two rounds. He continued landing knees and punches to the body and took control of the striking exchanges in the fifth. The win could set up potential rematches for Gane against Pereira, former champion Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov, as well as a new matchup against Russian knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich.