UFC Veteran Claims Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit Are Fighting for "Second Place" in Heavyweight Division

Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit will lock horns this Saturday at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden, with the undisputed heavyweight title on the line. Nevertheless, this title fight might have seemed highly unlikely just a few months ago, and UFC veteran Matt Brown has some reservation about the matchup.

The Hokit-Gane matchup came about as the result of a cascading series of events, shaped as much by the matchups that materialized as those that fell through.

First, there was Tom Aspinall’s prolonged absence as he struggled to recover from complications following the eye injury he suffered against Gane at UFC 321.

Then came Gane’s subsequent victory over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, followed by his elevation to champion after Aspinall was forced to vacate the title. Another factor was Hokit’s polarizing personality and a trio of impressive wins in 2026, most recently against Derrick Lewis at the White House event.

Now, it appears Brown doesn't consider either Hokit or Gane to be the best the 265-pound division has to offer.

Matt Brown Insists Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit Competing for "Second Place" at UFC 334

Matt Brown doesn't believe either Ciryl Gane or Josh Hokit deserves to be considered the best heavyweight in the world. The UFC veteran takes issue with neither man having defeated Tom Aspinall or even former champion Jon Jones, who already holds a first-round submission victory over 'Bon Gamin'.

During a recent segment of The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, the retired UFC star argued that neither man can be considered the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, despite the two being set to compete for the undisputed title:

“The real uncrowned champ is somewhere between Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall. Right? Three guys that we’re not getting to see fight... That’s one of the big problems with the heavyweight division: we have these guys fighting for the title, and you have Alex Pereira in the picture, and Volkov, and everybody’s like Francis, Tom, and Jon would beat all these guys.”

Brown added:

"The fact is, it’s very f**king disputed. These guys are fighting for second place, unfortunately. That’s just the reality of the business. That’s the downside. It’s still going to be a great fight. H/t: MMA Fighting"

Check out Matt Brown's comments on Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit below:

Josh Hokit Reveals Game Plan for UFC 334 Clash Against Ciryl Gane

Josh Hokit seems to have his game plan for UFC 334 figured out, and it revolves around applying relentless pressure and denying Gane the opportunity to point-fight his way to a victory.

During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hokit promised a high-pressure approach at Madison Square Garden, insisting that 'Bon Gamin' won't be able to stay away from him forever:

"I mean, I'm gonna pressure him. And he only has a few options: either he overextends, or he cowers away and tries to run. He cannot run forever. He's gonna try to pitter-patter. He's gonna try to point . He won't be able to stay away from me forever. And if he tries, he'll be tired from just that. I feel like I'll get my hands on him one way or the other, and then f**king wear him out."