UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane has a history of eye pokes, which may or may not be intentional.
That’s why No. 5-ranked title contender Josh Hokit, who battles Gane for the 265-pond strap atop the UFC 334 fight card later this month in New York City, is training to compete with limited vision. The means to that end is a face full of pepper spray, because it’s 2026 and dumb social media stunts are the only way to connect with doom-scrolling fans.
Two weeks before the biggest fight of your life is probably not the best time to shoot yourself in the eyes with capsaicin. In most cases the pain and irritation wear off within an hour or so, but there have been documented cases of hospitalization and permanent injury following routine exposure.
Why roll the dice?
Hokit (10-0) punched his ticket to a 265-pound title shot after laying waste to Derrick Lewis atop UFC White House back in June. As for Gane (14-2), he was assigned undisputed status on the strength of defeating Alex Pereira, also at UFC White House, prior to Tom Aspinall vacating the heavyweight strap.
No word yet on Hokit’s current training methods for blocking illegal shots to the back of the head.
