Ex-UFC Star Drags Jon Jones Into Ciryl Gane 'Cheater' Rant Ahead of UFC 334 Showdown With Josh Hokit

Josh Hokit stands inches away from the biggest glory of his UFC career, with an undisputed heavyweight title shot against Ciryl Gane waiting on Saturday night at UFC 334. Before the cage door closes, the biggest question is whether the Frenchman can fight clean in the main event.

That storyline gained even more traction at Thursday's press conference, where Hokit walked onstage wearing protective goggles, head padding and an athletic cup to mock Gane's recent controversies.

Former UFC veteran Sam Alvey has jumped into the debate with a blunt accusation and a bold prediction for how Hokit can dethrone him.

Sam Alvey Calls Ciryl Gane a Cheater and Links Him to Jon Jones

For most of his career, Gane avoided drama and built a reputation for sportsmanship. Lately, though, controversial fouls against Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira have left critics questioning whether "Bon Gamin" is really as clean as his nickname suggests.

Some have even compared his recent run to the legacy of Jon Jones, whose championship reign was repeatedly clouded by eye-poke controversies against stars like Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182. 

Bringing that history back into the spotlight just one day before UFC 334, Alvey torched both "Bones" and Gane in an exclusive chat with Bloody Elbow. 

"He's a dirty cheater!" Alvey said. "Jon Jones is a cheater, Gane is a cheater, it's eye-poke, eye-poke, elbow . It's ridiculous and how these guys keep getting rewarded with championships is baffling."

Alvey's frustration stems from how Gane became the heavyweight champion. At UFC 321 in October 2025, an accidental double eye poke against Tom Aspinall at 4:35 of Round 1 ended their title fight in a no-contest. Aspinall's eye injury eventually forced him to vacate the title in September.

That vacancy opened the door for Gane, who had already won the interim title by knocking out Alex Pereira in June despite complaints over illegal shots to the back of the head. 

Sam Alvey’s Simple Blueprint for Josh Hokit at UFC 334

Hokit, by contrast, enters UFC 334 with a clean 10-0 record and four straight UFC finishes since earning his contract on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2025. Even though Alvey admits Gane's size and striking make him dangerous, he shared a game plan for the undefeated challenger to pull off the upset.

"I want Hokit to win so badly," Alvey added. "I hope he goes out there and shoots just immediately. My brain tells me it's going to be Gane just because he is so big and he's a good, dynamic striker. Then I look at how he underperformed against Jon Jones, and I don't know that it was an underperformance. I think he just sucks at wrestling, so my official prediction is going to be Hokit in Round Two by either sub or TKO, but probably sub. It's not a tough game plan, wrestle the kickboxer. I could have come up with that!"

Gane has pushed back on the "dirty" label, saying his gym does not train eye pokes. But "The Incredible Hok" openly branded the champion a "coward" before fight night. Whatever side fans take, Alvey's blunt words have added extra heat to Saturday's heavyweight title fight.