Sean Strickland sees too much of a glaring hole in fellow UFC champion Ciryl Gane's wrestling.
Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defends his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 334 main event (Paramount+) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Strickland takes pride in his accurate predictions for Mike Malott vs. Joaquin Buckley, and Johnny Walker vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta. He points to Gane's quick submission loss to Jon Jones as a key concern against Hokit.
"I'm going to give you another banger: Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit," Strickland said on his Instagram. "I think the betting line's going to change, so I'd get on it now if you're going to make the bet, but I'll tell you why. When (Gane) fought Jon Jones, his wrestling
was so bad.
"If you're a world champion at this level and you still can't wrestle, you've hit your ceiling. Josh Hokit, he's a smart guy. He's going to take him down. So, I'm thinking either a TKO or submission in the second or third round. That's my prediction. Let's find out, get it done."
Gane started off as a moderate favorite over Hokit, but the odds have since tightened. According to FanDuel, he now finds himself a slight -184 favorite over Hokit, who's a +142 underdog.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Strickland sees Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit ending in 'either a TKO or submission'
