Belal Muhammad sees Ciryl Gane having numerous advantages over Josh Hokit at UFC 334.
Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defends his UFC heavyweight title against Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event (Paramount+) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Muhammad broke down the keys to victory for both fighters, starting with Hokit, who is an All-American wrestler.
"Obviously Ciryl Gane is definitely the better striker, the more technical striker, but this isn't kickboxing, this isn't a striking match," Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. "Will Hokit be able to get him down, make him fight his fight, stay in the pocket with him, put him on the fence, and systematically break him down? Keys for Hokit, I think you've got to cut him off, you've got to shrink
the cage, you've got to make Ciryl Gane fight on the cage the whole time. You can't give him the space, you can't let him get in kicking range, and you can't just follow him. You have to try to get the takedown, especially I think early, because I think if you get the takedown early, it'll start wearing on him early.
"You stay on top of him. It's going to slow him down. Ciryl Gane is very good with his footwork, very good with his speed, his darts in and out. And when he does those darts, you've got to be able to defend and enter, and I think your defense is going to be key, and your footwork is going to be key. You can't follow him. You can't let him get ahead of you, and you can't just plod forward. Sometimes you get into that mode of plodding or overextending because Ciryl is a sniper, he'll make you miss, and he'll catch you. So, I think breaking down the cage, shrinking the cage, putting him on the cage. You've got to wrestle, wrestle, wrestle, and keep it in boxing range and dirty boxing range."
Muhammad wants to see Gane use his movement to frustrate Hokit.
"For, Ciryl Gane, I think the oblique kick is going to be key," Muhammad continued. "Hokit doesn't have the best footwork. He plods forward. So hitting that side kick to the lead leg, chopping that lead leg down, hitting high kicks. We've seen him drop his hands, play that stupid game of giving you the middle finger. Don't get frustrated, don't get caught up in all that chaos. Simple. I think even if you go one shot, move, one shot, move, one shot, move, you end up eventually breaking him and finishing him, right? You can't get caught wanting to brawl with him.
"You can't get caught with your back on the fence and just swinging in. And if you get taken down, being smart. I think you're a way bigger fighter. So, just pushing his head away, it's going to be tough for him to hold you down, keep holding you down. I think you're going to have the size advantage, the power advantage, and the speed advantage. So, using all those things, and it comes from the legs, in and out, in and out, moving, moving, moving. And he's going to overthrow, and I think you're going to end up catching him."
Ultimately, Muhammad went with the slight betting favorite.
"My pick, I'm going with Ciryl Gane," Muhammad said. "I think that the striking is going to be too much, the footwork is going to be too much. We've seen Hokit get hit a lot, and he just walks forward, right? I don't think he's going to be able to do that against Ciryl Gane, especially with the size advantage. We've seen him take some tough hits. He didn't really take any huge ones from 'The Black Beast.' He went to war with Curtis Blaydes, but I think Ciryl Gane's power is going to be different, his angles are going to be way different. He's going to get the finish."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-UFC champ: Ciryl Gane has 'power advantage,' finishes Josh Hokit
