Josh Hokit spent much of his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, September 28, 2026, disputing the legitimacy of Ciryl Gane‘s championship. The undefeated American challenger meets the French heavyweight champion on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in the UFC 334 main event.
Hokit Rejects Gane’s Undisputed Status
The challenger refused to recognize Gane’s elevation to undisputed champion. “I don’t think he deserves an undisputed title, but it’s better for me because when I beat him, I’ll be undisputed,” Hokit said. He added: “I don’t think you should reward someone for cheating.”
Gane became undisputed heavyweight champion on September 14, 2026, after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt because of lingering medical complications. The Frenchman had held the interim title since June 14, 2026, when he stopped Alex Pereira by second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C.
Hokit is chasing a belt he considers wrongly awarded, while admitting the situation suits him. Beating Gane would make him undisputed champion on his first attempt.
The UFC 321 No Contest Drives His Case
Most of the American’s complaints go back to October 25, 2025. That night at UFC 321, the heavyweight title fight between Aspinall and Gane was stopped in the first round and ruled a no contest after an eye poke to the Briton. Hokit uses it to cast Gane as a fighter who works the gray areas of the rulebook.
“If you poke me in the eye, I’ll poke you in the eye back. You hit me in the back of the head, I’ll rip your throat out,” the challenger said, before sarcastically claiming to have titanium eyes and a bulletproof back of the head.
The 28-year-old went further by questioning Aspinall’s eye injury, saying he does not believe it is real and that the former champion is trying to get out of his UFC contract to move into boxing. No public evidence supports that claim.
The rematch between Aspinall and Gane never happened. The Briton was first sidelined by the effects of the eye injury, then gave up the belt on September 14, 2026, leaving the title to the Frenchman who already held the interim version. It is that sequence, rather than a fight won or lost, that Hokit is attacking.
The Numbers Behind the Matchup
Josh Hokit is 10-0, with six wins by knockout or TKO and three by submission. Born November 12, 1997, he stands 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) with a 73-inch reach (185 cm). As of July 25, 2026, he was ranked sixth in the UFC heavyweight division. His rise has been fast, with four UFC wins in under a year: a first-round TKO of Denzel Freeman at UFC 324 on January 24, 2026, a unanimous decision over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 on April 11, 2026, and a second-round TKO of Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026.
Ciryl Gane, 36, is 14-2 with 1 no contest. He stands 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) with an 81-inch reach (206 cm), giving him eight inches (21 cm) of reach on his challenger. He is coming off the TKO win over Alex Pereira that earned him the interim belt. Hokit dismissed the gap: “He’s fairly athletic, got decent fight IQ, but it don’t matter. I’m just going to break him.” He also said he has better eyes and reactions than Pereira.
November 14 at Madison Square Garden
UFC 334 takes place on November 14, 2026, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The card carries a second championship bout, with Kayla Harrison defending the women’s bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes. It will be the promotion’s 13th event in New York City and its first there since UFC 322 in November 2025. The card is branded as Polymarket UFC 334 for sponsorship reasons.
Asked about Dana White’s public criticism of him, Hokit brushed it off: “Dana just has to say that. Deep down, you know I’m Dana’s favorite fighter.” He added that he did not come into the sport to be liked, saying he did not get into it to be loved by anybody.
Gane has not responded publicly to the comments. In New York he makes the first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title, a division capped at 265 pounds (120 kg).
