Ex-Champ Risks Six Figures on Josh Hokit Upsetting Ciryl Gane at UFC 334

After waiting more than a year, MMA fans will finally see a heavyweight title bout in the UFC this upcoming Saturday as Ciryl Gane steps into UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden with a 14-2 record.

It will be his first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title after the organization promoted him from interim champion following Tom Aspinall vacating the belt. The UFC booked him against the undefeated Josh Hokit, who holds a 10-0 record. This is also Hokit’s first title challenge following his UFC debut.

He enters the fight as an underdog, but former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal thinks the bookmakers are wrong, so he put a six-figure bet on Hokit to upset Gane in New York.

Jorge Masvidal Reveals $200,000 Bet on Josh Hokit at 5-1 Odds

Speaking on Deep Waters recently, Masvidal said that he put $200,000 on Hokit at 5-1 odds, a bet that pays $1 million if Hokit wins. He said Hard Rock Bet's line didn't suit him, so he kept shopping until contacts offered the number he wanted. He then showed the receipt to the other panelists.

"I bet the house. I went looking for the odds. I didn't really like the odds. Hard Rock wasn't doing me, bro. I kept looking around. I kept looking around. Looking at other places. Got in contact with some people. They gave me 5 to 1 odds. I got him 5 to 1," Masvidal said.

That extra effort paid off massively. Standard sportsbooks offered odds that would return about $205 in profit on a $100 bet. But after finding those 5-to-1 odds, Masvidal secured a much bigger $500 profit for every $100 risked.

"You want to know how much I put on it? And I've got the receipt right. here in my pocket. 200k boy. I get a million back. I put 200k on Hokit," Masvidal added.

Hokit, a 28-year-old former two-time All-American wrestler at Fresno State, is already ranked No. 6 in the division despite a brief career. He has built his perfect record by finishing nine of his ten professional opponents with six knockouts and three submissions. 

His rapid rise to the title shot includes a gritty unanimous decision over Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327, followed by a dominant second-round ground-and-pound stoppage of Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250.

To capture the gold, the challenger will look to follow the path shared by Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones, the only two men to defeat Gane by exploiting his grappling defense. However, fouls could make this a highly controversial affair. 

Gane has a reputation among fans for breaking the rules. He is often criticized for eye pokes and landing illegal punches to the back of the head. To prepare for this, Hokit took eye-poke defense to a bizarre extreme.

He recently went viral after letting a training partner blast him in the face with pepper spray just to practice fighting while blinded. It remains to be seen whether Saturday's main event will be a clean tactical battle and whether Masvidal's massive gamble will ultimately turn a profit.