UFC 334 main event: Tactical takeaways from Ciryl Gane's win over Josh Hokit

Ciryl Gane successfully defended his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334. The matchup wasn't the usual, clean standup affair that 'Bon Gamin' has grown accustomed to, and he was forced to dig deep to claw his way back to victory after a difficult first three rounds. However, Gane's win came down to more than just his heart, and it also revealed the limitations of Hokit's style at heavyweight.

How Josh Hokit dragged Ciryl Gane into deep waters

Ahead of UFC 334, the expectation was that Ciryl Gane would have a relatively dominant performance against Josh Hokit. After all, 'The Incredible Hok' has some alarming defensive gaps that were exposed in a brutal, but ultimately victorious, fight with Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327. While those defensive concerns were still apparent at UFC 334, Hokit did far better than anyone could have expected, and it all came down to pressure and pace. From the moment the fight started, Hokit gave Gane zero space. He shot for an immediate takedown, got it, but couldn't control the champion, who did well to post on his right arm, turn toward Hokit's back, and stand back up. But it didn't matter because Hokit got right in his face with endless one-twos.

With Hokit always coming forward with high-octane offense, Gane had no breathing room. The champion spent all of round one on the backfoot, with no space to throw kicks with any leverage and power. Without his low kicks, front kicks, and round kicks to the body, Gane had to box, and because Hokit stayed right in front of him, he was also forced to step back constantly to try and create some space to, at least, find the timing for his jab. However, even when he did start landing his jab, it lacked the sting that it had at UFC Freedom 250, when he TKO'd Alex Pereira within two rounds. This was all because of the constant backward movement, which meant that Gane never had a moment to plant his feet and throw back with any kind of weight.

Of course, it wouldn't have been a Gane fight without a foul, and 'Bon Gamin' had eye poked Hokit early to ward off the pressure, but it didn't work, as Hokit kept his foot on the gas, overwhelming him. It was a furious pace, and while both men had moments on the feet, Gane was still outlanding him, even though Hokit was the aggressor. Round one revealed how poorly Gane deals with pressure, as he had no real counterpunching and lacked composure, causing him to spazz out and swing with wild uppercuts and looping punches, while completely overreacting with explosive, energy-intensive sprawls every time Hokit changed levels to tease a takedown.

By the end of round one, Gane already looked tired and Hokit capitalized with a high-crotch single leg to slam him. Gane still narrowly won the round, having outlanded Hokit, whose poor habit of coming forward in a straight line with no lateral movement caused him to run into his jab over and over again, but it was very close. This pace continued into rounds two and three, with Hokit swarming Gane with combinations, but still walking into punches due to his lack of head movement. Hokit kept finding a home for his right hand, but he also expended a lot of energy, as he would launch himself forward until his backfoot was off the ground, leaving him unable to retract that leg back into his stance for a quick reset after landing a punch.

So, even as Gane faded, resorting to the clinch to get a breather, he still had moments on the feet because of how defensively irresponsible Hokit is. He also started finding a home for knees to the body, which Hokit really didn't like, as he shot for an immediate takedown afterward, and things eventually turned around in Gane's favor.

Ciryl Gane's adjustments and championship comeback

As it turns out, Ciryl Gane had taken round three off on his cornermen's advice. This allowed him to come back fresher in the championship rounds. Josh Hokit, by contrast, couldn't afford to take a round off to refill his gas tank, as that would mean giving Gane the space to start bouncing around, establish his range, land kicks, and pop him with a jab as he danced around on the outside, and no one beats Gane when Gane is allowed to fight in his preferred style. Hokit had to keep coming forward and making it a dog fight. That meant continuing to use a lot of energy. Reinvigorated, Gane continued to punish Hokit's relentless pressure by forcing him into the clinch.

Whenever they tied up, Gane used his weight to drain Hokit, while landing more hard knees to the body that drained Hokit's cardio even more. In the earlier rounds, Hokit managed to keep Gane on the backfoot with relentless pressure and volume, helped in part by the fact that he kept launching himself into his own punches. But once he was tired in the later rounds, he could no longer throw his entire body into every strike, and Hokit already lacks power as a very small heavyweight, so once Gane realized that whatever little power Hokti once had was gone, he turned it up and started planting his feet to crack him with combinations.

In another turn of events, Gane also began to walk Hokit down, forcing him to clinch even more for some reprieve as 'Bon Gamin' started snapping his head back with shots. Despite his success, Gane was also tired and his second wind could only take him so far. He started landing single shots and popping his jab from time to time, while still taking breathers. In the end, it was enough for Gane to win via unanimous decision in one of the most chaotic fights of his career.

Although some disagreed with the decision, including Alex Pereira, the champion still got his hand raised, handed Hokit his first professional loss, and will now look toward his next title defense.