Dana White Shares Wild Story of Being Cornered by Angry Fan After Josh Hokit's UFC 334 Defeat
After Ciryl Gane edged Josh Hokit by decision at UFC 334, an angry fan confronted Dana White inside an elevator to protest the scorecards.
Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit turned the UFC 334 main event into one of the best fights of the year in any weight class. On Saturday, "The Incredible Hok" delivered a strong performance in a brutal five-round war against Gane, though all three judges scored the title fight 48-47 for the Frenchman.
Although Gane broke the heavyweight record with 237 significant strikes to pass the American's previous mark, the decision split the MMA community. Alex Pereira and Joshua Van's shocked ringside reactions have already gone viral online.
Fans were upset too. An angry fan even argued with Dana White inside an elevator over the verdict.
Dana White Describes Fan Who Argued With Him in Elevator After UFC 334
Before the bout, Gane carried a history of controversy involving eye pokes and strikes to the back of the head. Even though oddsmakers listed Gane as the favorite, the majority were rooting for Hokit.
In the main event, "Bon Gamin" fought a mostly clean bout aside from an eye poke in the first round. But Hokit won over the crowd with his gritty performance. He later wrote on Instagram that he "saw triple the whole fight."
Despite losing his 10-fight winning streak, he earned the fans' respect. And one supporter literally took his frustration straight to the UFC CEO. White shared the bizarre story at the post-fight press conference. He did not reveal how the man reached the elevator but said he still did not understand how it happened.
"I don't know how the f—- some guy got in my elevator tonight," White said with a wide grin on his face. "He was fighting with me the whole ride upstairs telling me that 'this is bullsht, Hokit won that fight.'"
The UFC boss also praised the stellar performance from both Gane and Hokit. He had a problem with Hokit's heel persona, and "The Incredible Hok" repeatedly insisted he would not change himself, even though he knew White disliked his unapologetic way of speaking.
Hokit finally won over the UFC CEO on Saturday night. White gave the American his flowers for executing a near-perfect game plan against a mobile champion and called his effort a "perfect fight" despite the loss. The main event also earned Fight of the Night honors and $100,000 bonuses for both men.
Afterward, Hokit tagged White, matchmaker Mick Maynard, and executive Hunter Campbell in an Instagram post asking for an immediate rematch. White did not rule it out, though he reminded reporters that the UFC does not make fights on the night of an event.
