The Undisputed Heavyweight Championship is on the line in the Main Event of tonight’s UFC 334 card as current king Ciryl Gane makes his first title defense against rising star Josh Hokit. This is the first UFC Heavyweight title fight taking place in New York City at Madison Square Garden since Jon Jones defended it against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024. The UFC 334 Main Card starts at 9:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+.
Check out my best bet below for the UFC 334 Main Event between Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit.
Exact Method of Victory: KO/TKO/DQ (-185)
Like or hate him, the always entertaining and controversial Hokit is in the midst of one of the greatest runs in UFC history. 15 months ago, Hokit was fighting on Dana White’s Contender Series and is now set to headline the UFC’s annual stop in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Even crazier, Hokit made his MMA debut only three years ago, in October 2023. He has gone 3-0 in 2026 with two knockouts and beat two longtime UFC veterans, Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, in his previous two fights.
Even though Lewis and Blaydes are mainstays in the UFC’s heavyweight division, with all due respect, they are not currently on Ciryl Gane’s level. Gane is coming off a phenomenal knockout over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in June. Five months ago against Pereira, Gane captured the Interim Heavyweight title. But then Tom Aspinall vacated the title, elevating Gane to Undisputed UFC Champion. After three previous tries at Undisputed gold, Gane is finally the lone king atop the Heavyweight division. Now, Gane is set for his first title defense against Hokit, who, although he doesn’t have the accolades of his previous opponents, is still supremely dangerous.
Gane, 36, enters this fight with a 14-2 record with seven knockouts and one no contest. Since 2019, Gane has gone 11-2 with one no contest in the UFC. He has built an extremely impressive resume, with wins over Junior Dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov (2x), Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, Serghei Spivac, and Alex Pereira.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Gane is the favorite at -230, with Hokit at +190. The over/under is set at 3.5 rounds, with the under at -166 and the over at +130. Gane is also +110 to win by knockout, as Hokit is +400 by KO/TKO/DQ. In this fight, Gane stands three inches taller (6’4″ vs. 6’1″) and has an eight-inch reach advantage (81″ vs. 73″) over Hokit.
Hokit averages 3.89 more significant strikes per minute, but Gane absorbs 2.97 fewer strikes. Since this is such a close fight between two premier strikers, it is hard to predict the exact outcome, as Hokit is still improving and has a unique style, while Gane has been inconsistent at times. What I’m most confident in is that a knockout is likely. Four of Gane’s last five victories have come by knockout. Also, five of Hokit’s previous six wins have come by knockout. With that said, I’m taking this contest to end by KO/TKO/DQ at -185.
