Ciryl Gane looked tired early but then surged ahead late to secure a title defense and a win over Josh Hokit in the UFC 334 main event.
Nothing came easy as Gane had to fend off an aggressive, unorthodox attack from Hokit but his ability to withstand that pressure and effectively use his striking late allowed him to win the necessary rounds to get the victory. The judges all scored the fight 48-47 with Gane getting the win and maintaining his spot as undisputed heavyweight champion.
“He didn’t surprise
me,” Gane said about the win. “All the people around the world underestimate him, not me. That was a tough fight. I kept going because I’m strong. I stayed focused. I go ahead, I go forward. This guy is a mother*cker, he did well.”
For his part, Hokit was still defiant in defeat, although he did shake Gane’s hand after the fight was over.
“I will rejoice in my suffering,” Hokit said. “Suffering build endurance. Endurance builds character and character builds hope. You can kick me while I’m down but I’ll break your f*cking leg.”
Hokit immediately dove for a takedown to start the fight and he got Gane to the canvas but the heavyweight champion was quick to scramble free. Hokit kept coming forward, throwing big punches but he complained about an eye poke, although the action wasn’t stopped.
Gane started to establish his jab but Hokit just kept marching forward with no fear of reprisal. Gane seemed to slow down as Hokit was just coming after him with reckless abandon.
With Gane backing up, Hokit was just throwing punches and he finally connected with some shots that had the Frenchman on unsteady legs. Still, Gane was landing with punches of his own but Hokit appeared undeterred in his attacks.
Hokit then snatched a single leg takedown before slamming Gane to the canvas with the New York crowd erupting in approval.
In round two, Gane shut down an early takedown from Hokit before landing a solid uppercut in the exchange. Gane kept chipping away with his strikes but Hokit refused to back down.
Hokit kept throwing and Gane looked like he as losing steam as time passed. Hokit when blasted away with a hard right hand and Gane was just stuck backing up.
Hokit then landed another hard punch as Gane tried to circle away while tossing out that lead jab again.
Listening to his coaches’ advice, Hokit started going to the body with his punches before again looking for the takedown. Gane went for a knee strike and that allowed Hokit to drag him to the canvas.
Gane was able to get up again but Hokit was right back in his face on the feet and landing solid inside elbows. Hokit was then holding onto the clinch while stomping away at Gane’s feet against the cage.
Operating on his backfoot, Gane just couldn’t generate much power and Hokit was just coming after him, never allowing him to catch his breath. Hokit then blasted him with a couple of hard elbows before throwing up his middle finger just before the horn sounded.
Moving into round four, Gane hammered Hokit to the body with several knees as he played defense to resist the takedowns. Gane was more active with his strikes and this time it was Hokit slowing down, although he was still constantly pressing forward.
Gane continued to focus on the body and Hokit wasn’t able to answer as much as his wrestling started coming up short.
Hokit opened the final round with a takedown but Gane scrambled back to his feet in a hurry. Gane then starting ripping punches to the body and Hokit’s power seemed almost non-existent.
