Right around this time last year, Josh Hokit won his UFC debut by annihilating Max Gimenis at UFC Vegas 111, which should have been the post-fight headline. Instead, it was his bizarre, WWE-style interview with Paul Felder that had everyone scratching their heads.
I never would have imagined Hokit would be fighting for the heavyweight title less than a year later.
And yet … here we are. “The Incredible Hok” is paired with heavyweight veteran Ciryl Gane, who needed four tries to finally win the heavyweight title.
They’ll headline the UFC 334 event this weekend on Paramount+ from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In the co-main event, former women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes will come out of her fake retirement in an attempt to recapture her 135-pound title, which now rests around the waist of former American Top Team (ATT) teammate Kayla Harrison.
Rounding out the UFC 334 main card action is the flyweight showdown between Bilal Hasan and Luis Gurule, which follows the middleweight brouhaha pitting Caio Borralho against Yousri Belgaroui. Kicking things off is the welterweight battle with Uros Medic taking on Kevin Holland.
Fun for the whole family!
265 lbs.: UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl “Bon Gamin” Gane (14-2, 1 NC) vs. Josh “The Incredible Hok” Hokit (10-0)
Ciryl Gane had three shots at the UFC heavyweight title and came up empty all three times. He was outwrestled by Francis Ngannou at UFC 270 and outgrappled by Jon Jones at UFC 285 before fouling his way to a “No Contest” against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321. Yes, I realize he defeated Alex Pereira at UFC White House to win the (cough) “undisputed” belt that Aspinall vacated, but it’s hard for me to recognize him as champ by simply beating a former middleweight. The fact that Gane is fighting Josh Hokit should give you an idea of how anemic the heavyweight division is when it comes to talent and I don’t know where we go from here. Alexander Volkov? Winner of Pereira vs. Sergei Pavlovich? That’s a problem we can worry about on Sunday.
Gane is one of the division’s best strikers and he’s got knockout power in his thick, muscular frame. There’s a reason Ngannou — himself a devastating power puncher — repeatedly took “Bon Gamin” to the ground. Similarly, Jones kept it standing only long enough to set up the takedown, which resulted in a first-round submission. Watching Gane absolutely annihilate Pereira validated those choices from Ngannou and Jones and laid the blueprint for Hokit, who is an exciting fighter but by no means a moron, even though he plays one on TV. “The Incredible Hok” is not a particularly large heavyweight, standing just 6’1” with a 73” reach but the former NFL player is still only 29 years old and both fast and agile inside the cage.
This really comes down to risk vs. reward.
Hokit has power but is not a technical (or even fundamentally sound) striker and will probably get pieced up by Gane if he remains standing. I doubt that’s even a consideration when “Bon Gamin” has already established a weak point in his armor. His takedown defense is a porous 47 percent, which means more than half the takedowns attempted actually land. Making matters worse, at least for the champion, is the fact that Hokit was a NCAA Division I All-American wrestler out of Fresno State who averages nearly four takedowns per 15 minutes of action. I don’t think this is a matter of “if” Gane gets taken down but a matter of “when” — and how often. I don’t know if Hokit has the size and strength to keep a brute like Gane on the floor for very long so I expect him to just recycle the same offense for as long as it works.
Five rounds, by my estimation.
Prediction: Hokit def. Gane by unanimous decision
135 lbs.: UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison (19-1) vs. Amanda “Lioness” Nunes (23-5)
Amanda Nunes is the latest fighter to remind fans that retirements are not real. Much like Ronda Rousey before her, who claimed a secret concussion history forced her out of the game — only to say “Just kidding! I’m fine!” when the right payday came along — Nunes claimed nerve damage brought an end to her combat sports career. I guess her nerves are undamaged now or maybe “Lioness” needs the money. It’s hard to retire at age 35 and live the rest of your life comfortably, especially with children, but I don’t want to speculate too much on her motivation for coming back because there’s also the possibility that she was just bored or missed the spotlight.
Whatever the reason, Nunes is getting first crack at the 135-pound title held by Kayla Harrison. The two were bosom buddies at American Top Team (ATT), right up until Harrison became a direct threat to the bantamweight throne. Nunes eventually left the team and now trains privately with her own coaching staff, though it’s worth mentioning that she hasn’t fought in over three years and has just one finish dating back to summer 2019. There’s a pretty good argument that Nunes is one of the best female fighters in history (if not the best) and her power has been a big part of her success. “Lioness” hits with the kind of force that is atypical for a female combatant and she’s the only fighter in history to knock out Cris Cyborg, another hall of fame athlete. On top of that she has outstanding jiu jitsu, making her equally dangerous on the ground.
The few fighters who were able to upset Nunes, most notably Cat Zingano and Julianna Pena, did so by exploiting defensive weaknesses in the Brazilian’s wrestling, which coupled with her substandard conditioning, made Nunes surprisingly easy to finish. Sounds like a simple formula and for the most part, it is. What’s not so simple, is surviving the hellacious onslaught of knockout punches that come rocketing in with pinpoint accuracy. Pena got Nunes when she was lazy and unmotivated — I doubt Kayla Harrison will be as lucky.
The good news for the former PFL champion, is that she doesn’t need luck. Harrison is to the ground game what Nunes is to the standup: you simply won’t find a more accomplished (and more dangerous) bantamweight in that category. Harrison made Julianna Pena look like an amateur on the ground and mangled Holly Holm with little-to-no resistance. She’s certainly not perfect, as we saw in her loss to Larissa Pacheco under the PFL banner back in late 2022, and Harrison has never faced a fighter with the power of Nunes, so we don’t know how long her chin can withstand the abuse — assuming it can withstand it at all. The Olympian is coming off major neck surgery and hasn’t competed in over a year, though you can also argue that she’s now training and competing injury free for the first time in years, which may produce a better product on fight night.
Nunes holds the division record for takedowns at 32 but I really don’t see her offensive wrestling coming into play against Harrison, a former lightweight, because she will not win a battle of strength or positioning against an athlete who captured Olympic gold in judo. The only way “Lioness” wins this fight is if she lands the kill shot early, otherwise Harrison is going to push her into the cage, grind her down, and exhaust her until every step feels like walking in wet cement. I’m sure Nunes will give us some “oohs” and “ahhs” with her first round bomb dropping. After that, she’ll start to feel like the fighter she is: a 38-year-old striker who hasn’t fought in over three years.
Prediction: Harrison def. Nunes by submission
125 lbs.: Bilal “The IndoNinja” Hasan (10-0, 1 NC) vs. Luis “Grim” Gurule (11-4)
This is undoubtedly a showcase fight for flyweight sensation Bilal Hasan, who has just one appearance under the UFC banner but already finds himself on the main card of a number event topped by two championship title fights. Hasan made a name for himself on Dana White’s “Contender Series” just three months back, obliterating Mridul Saikia in a mere 45 seconds. Just over two weeks’ later, he was back inside the cage, putting Nilson Rojas to sleep in the second round of their UFC Shanghai showdown. It’s easy to get excited about a 25-year-old prospect with nine finishes in 10 wins — eight of them by way of knockout. Particularly in the flyweight division, which is running low on contenders ahead of the Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape title fight. We won’t really know what Hasan is capable of until he fights someone in the Top 10, but when “The IndoNinja” finally gets there, he’s likely to have an impressive highlight reel to accompany him.
All due respect to Luis Gurule, but I think it’s pretty obvious at this point that he’s not good enough to compete on the UFC roster. “Grim” had a good showing on Dana White’s “Contender Series” but needed a split decision to get past Nick Piccininni, then proceeded to lose four of five under the UFC banner — getting finished twice in the process. Gurule entered the promotion as an undefeated prospect, having dominated the competition in both LFA and Fury FC, so I understand why matchmakers have given him more time to realize his potential. I’m just not feeling very optimistic after watching him get wiped out by 24-year-old Rei Tsuruya at UFC Macau back in May. Hasan has a two-inch advantage in height and a six-inch advantage in reach, the latter of which is most concerning for this three-round affair. I don’t think it’s a matter of “if ” Hasan will defeat Gurule, but rather a matter of “what round.”
Prediction: Hasan def. Gurule by technical knockout
185 lbs.: Caio “The Natural” Borralho (18-2, 1 NC) vs. Yousri “Baby Face Assassin” Belgaroui (11-3)
After two attempts on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in late 2021, Caio Borralho finally scored a UFC contract and has looked sensational in the five years that followed, compiling an 8-1 record and landing at No. 6 in the division Top 10. Unfortunately, Borralho is stuck in no man’s land after losing to No. 3-ranked Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Paris last fall. That was a pretty significant setback in a division with no clear challengers and a champion who doesn’t want to be here. In addition, Borralho only has two finishes in nine trips to the Octagon, so it’s not like he’s building an irrefutable case like Jean Silva and Carlos Prates, two fighters who also suffered setback on their respective quests for gold. “The Natural” is a gifted striker with good cardio and presents a stiff challenge for anyone at 185 pounds.
Yousri Belgaroui, like Borralho, also needed two tries to get through Dana White’s “Contender Series” after falling short in his first attempt against Marco Tulio in summer 2023. Undaunted, Belgaroui returned to the local circuit and racked up back-to-back wins for Levels Fight League (LFL) in Amsterdam, good enough for another look from White the following year. Belgaroui made the most of his opportunity, earning his way onto the roster with a third-round finish over Taiga Iwasaki and “Baby Face Assassin” is now 3-0 for UFC with all three bouts ending by way of knockout. While that looks great on paper, his opponents have all been prospects or fellow “Contender Series” graduates (and nothing to write home about). This feels like a serious step up in competition for an unproven middleweight but that should tell you how desperate the 185-pound division is for fresh faces. In addition, Belgaroui is halfway to his 35th birthday so there’s not a lot of time to be toiling away in the bottom half of the division.
Both fighters prefer the standup but Borralho is the more well-rounded fighter between the two. He’s also the more experienced and more battle-tested, having been up against the likes of Jared Cannonier, Reinier de Ridder, and the aforementioned Imavov. Belgaroui defeated … Djorden Santos.
Prediction: Borralho def. Belgaroui by unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Uros “The Doctor” Medic (14-3) vs. Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland (29-15, 1 NC)
Kevin Holland may go down as the most unrealized talent in the history of the welterweight division. It’s very rare to get an athlete with his physical gifts, which include a 6’3” frame with an 81” reach and knockout power. “Trailblazer” is also a sneaky submission specialist with a total of 23 finishes in 29 wins. Unfortunately, Holland appears to suffer from a lack of motivation or a lack of commitment — perhaps both, seemingly content to show up and wing it, then collect his paycheck (win or lose) and go home to smoke weed and play video games (his words). That seems like a waste for a fighter who has already racked up double-digit performance bonuses across two separate weight classes and at 34 years old, the clock is ticking on his UFC future. Holland is coming off a unanimous decision win over Randy Brown at UFC 327 back in April, which snapped a two-fight losing streak. He’s never dropped three straight fights in his entire career and I doubt he’ll want to start here. His wrestling has always been an issue, though perhaps not as badly as it was a few years back, but that won’t be an issue here as Uros Medic has only landed one takedown in his entire UFC career.
Like Holland before him, Medic came to UFC by way of Dana White’s “Contender Series” with a first-round finish over Mikey Gonzalez back in summer 2020 and has slowly worked his way into the Top 10 of the division. He’s a crafty striker with deadly accuracy and knockout power. In fact, “The Doctor” has finished all 14 opponents, bagging four post-fight performance bonuses along the way. Medic is only two inches shorter than Holland but gives up a staggering 10 inches in reach. That’s really the difference maker in this fight, regardless of “Trailblazer’s” motivation. Once Holland settles in and finds his range, I think Medic is going to panic wrestle. “The Doctor’s” four-fight win streak makes it easy to forget about his knockout loss to Punahele Soriano at UFC Vegas 101 but that was last year — not exactly ancient history. Medic was also submitted by Myktybek Orolbai and Jalin Turner. Holland has 15 career losses so he’s got issues of his own; I just think stylistically, this is a bad matchup for Medic, one that is likely to cost him a spot in the welterweight Top 10.
Prediction: Holland def. Medic by technical knockout
For much more on this weekend’s UFC 334 event on Paramount+ click here.
