Josh Hokit could cap off one of the best breakthrough campaigns in MMA history by capturing the heavyweight title at UFC 334.
A year ago, Hokit was fresh off his UFC debut win against Max Gimenis, and if anyone had made the above prediction, they would have been universally ridiculed; now, we are days and perhaps one more Hokit highlight away from Hokit doing the impossible. Love him or hate him—and he’s given fans plenty of reasons to do both—he’s earned his shot, and now he takes on a champion with
plenty to prove in Ciryl Gane.
Given the less-than-satisfying path Gane has taken to become undisputed champion and Hokit’s shocking rise up the ranks, it’s fair to ask how highly critics will rate the magnitude of a win in Saturday’s main event, especially with Tom Aspinall (fingers crossed) expected to return in 2027.
UFC 334 also features a historic bout between bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and the greatest ever to compete in that division, Amanda Nunes. Does this blockbuster fight kick-start a new era of prosperity for women’s MMA or is it more of a swan song for its stars?
MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee, Damon Martin, and Jed Meshew ponder the biggest questions heading into the UFC’s latest visit to Madison Square Garden.
1. Is the Gane-Hokit winner the undisputed heavyweight king?
Lee: Wherefore art thou, Thomas Paul Aspinall?
It still feels so weird that Ciryl Gane was just granted undisputed heavyweight champion status because the man (and his eyeballs) he put on the shelf hasn’t been able to fight. One could also argue this is one of the more justified promotions in UFC history, given Gane won an interim title by beating Alex Pereira in a massive fight at UFC White House, and Aspinall has been out of action for over a year now. Like, this is supposed to be one of the possible benefits of being interim champion, no?
And as much as I personally detest Josh Hokit’s stick and persona (in addition to being offensive, he’s simply not remotely close to being funny), he’s earned his shot and arguably gave us the best fight of 2026 with his insane brawl against Curtis Blaydes. An undefeated dude who shamelessly promotes himself at every turn? Sounds like the formula for a legitimate UFC champion.
So yes, I can’t believe I’m writing this, but whoever wins Saturday will be my new No. 1 heavyweight, and Aspinall has to once again earn his spot.
Martin: Sure, why not?
At this point we have no idea when Aspinall is coming back, if ever, and it wasn’t like he was a multi-time defending champion. He was making his first defense when his eyes were destroyed by Gane. Since then, Gane has defeated Pereira, and he’s about to make his first defense as champion.
It would be a lot less messy if Gane wasn’t involved, considering how many bites at the apple he’s had when it comes to the heavyweight title, but there’s no denying his spot in the division. If Hokit wins, that makes things quite interesting considering his résumé isn’t nearly as deep, but if he beats Gane, he deserves to hold his head up high with that belt wrapped around his waist.
When Aspinall returns, we can revisit this topic, but for now Gane or Hokit deserve that label of undisputed champion.
Meshew: I’m stunned at my colleagues. No! The clear and obvious answer is, NO!
In the most technical sense of the matter, the winner on Saturday will be the “undisputed champion” because that’s just the title the UFC gives out. But if we live in a society where words mean things, it’s a bit of a stretch to pretend like the winner is a true champion, and no reasonable person should consider them “undisputed.” And I’m not even going ot open the can of worms that is “Baddest Man on the Planet” and the specters of Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones that linger over the weight class as a whole.
If we knew Tom Aspinall was done for good, that would be one thing. Then this would still be a little specious since it’s not the No. 1 and No. 2 guys fighting for the vacant belt, but it would be reasonable. But Aspinall might be back in a few months, and while his shadow looms over the division, you cannot say the winner on Saturday is undisputed. The winner is the title holder, nothing more.
2. Where do Harrison and Nunes go after this?
Meshew: The two most obvious answers are either retirement or, depending on how this fight goes, a rematch. But I’m going to take this opportunity to pitch an idea I wrote a couple of months ago: Valentina Shevchenko has the power to save women’s MMA.
Shevchenko has done all there is to do at 125, and she can’t have much time left in the sport, especially coming off this injury. Instead of going back to “reclaim” her title at flyweight, it’s time to cut bait and move back up to 135 for one last attempt at the title against the winner of this fight. Bantamweight needs all the help it can get, Shevchenko moving up frees up 125 for the new blood to move in by removing her smothering presence, and if Shevchenko is gone from 125, Weili Zhang can stick around to make flyweight more interesting, which also frees up 115 from her oppressive reign.
I hope to see Shevchenko sitting cageside this week, so the UFC can set up the true GOAT fight next.
Lee: Win or lose, I see Harrison sticking around, but only because the UFC will wave some fat checks in front of her to keep her motivated.
It all comes down to facts and figures, and it’s a fact that the UFC likes having shiny belts to promote events. The women’s 135 title just so happens to be one of them, and despite the dire state the division has been in overall for much of the past decade, it’s been fortunate enough to have had several popular names at the top, including Harrison, Nunes, Ronda Rousey, Holly Holm, and Miesha Tate. It’s certainly not the marquee weight class it once was, but it’s hanging in there. By a thread.
There are just enough warm bodies (Ailin Perez? Luana Santos? Profit???) floating around at the top of the division right now to make things interesting for Harrison should she choose to stick around, and I think she will, if only because adding a few more UFC title defenses to her incredible combat sports career can’t hurt.
As for Nunes? This is her last fight.
Martin: Retirement, and I’m not kidding about that.
Let’s be real: Harrison vs. Nunes is potentially the greatest women’s MMA fight in history, and it’s really hard to go anywhere after that. Harrison is a two-time Olympic champion, a PFL champion, and now a UFC champion, and she rules over a division that is painfully thin. Meanwhile, Nunes is already defined as the greatest women’s fighter of all time, and if she can return to form after three years away, this could be one hell of a title fight at UFC 334.
That said, women’s bantamweight is a painfully bad division, and whoever wins this fight just doesn’t have much compelling out there to keep them around. Unless Valentina Shevchenko abandons flyweight and moves to 135 pounds, there’s really nothing out there to get excited about.
3. What fight has the best chance of stealing the show?
Martin: Uros Medic has been a finishing machine, and Kevin Holland rarely goes away easily, so this one really could shine on the main card.
Medic is a fast-rising star who hit a new level with a fight in his home country of Serbia in his last outing, and has rattled off four straight wins without any opponents making it to the 90-second mark of the opening round. Medica is obviously a fast starter with incredibly heavy hands, and he’s always gunning for the finish.
But Holland is well known for his ability to frustrate opponents, and he’s a hard guy to finish. He’s durable and a lethal striker in his own right, so this one could be over quickly, or it could be a 15-minute war. Either way, this one should be fun.
Meshew: The feature bout between Caio Borralho and Yousri Belgaroui is probably the correct answer, but I’m gonna take a second to show a little love to Stephen Thompson’s swan song.
“Wonderboy” has his retirement this Saturday, taking on Charles Radtke on the prelims, and while it’s unlikely that the 43-year-old ever makes it into the Hall of Fame, he’s a classic “Hall of Very Good” kind of fighter. He’s been a staple of the division for nearly 15 years, challenged for a title twice, and is the rare fighter that almost no one has a bad thing to say about. Retiring against “Chuck Buffalo” is certainly a weird way to go out, but hopefully he still has enough in the tank to get a W and ride off into the sunset on a high note.
Lee: I feel like I always pick a Terrance McKinney fight for these kinds of questions, and I’m still picking a Terrance McKinney fight.
The man judges love to see because they can tear up their scorecards once he walks out, McKinney takes on the ageless Jim Miller in what will be Miller’s 48th UFC appearance. There were definitely safer paths for Miller to take on his inexorable march to 50, but what would be the fun in that? “A-10” has never been choosy about his opponents, so why not throw down with a guy you know is going to give you the most exciting fight possible for as long as it lasts.
As usual with McKinney, take the under.
