Ciryl Gane is still heavyweight champion after an unpredictable UFC 334 main event opposite Josh Hokit that was non-stop action for five rounds.
Hokit’s relentless pace is no secret, but the previously undefeated fighter gave Gane everything he could handle in Saturday’s main event at Madison Square Garden, until he seemingly ran out of gas in the championship rounds. In the end, Gane gutted out a decision win, earning 48-47 scores on all three judges’ cards.
The New York crowd was loudly behind Hokit,
who gave them plenty of reasons to cheer as he stayed in Gane’s face and even lifted the French fighter in the air for an impressive slam at one point. But Gane’s sharp striking slowly broke Hokit down and actually gave him pause on more than one occasion, and the defending champion’s composure carried him to a victory.
Throughout the contest, fighters chimed in on social media wondering just how Gane and Hokit were keeping up their frenetic pace.
“What the hell did I just watch?” UFC star Paulo Costa wrote on Twitter. “These two guys tried to kill each other for 25 minutes. Crazy fight. Respect.”
See more fighter reactions below.
