“What the Hell Did I Just Watch?”: MMA Stars React to Ciryl Gane’s War With Josh Hokit at UFC 334

Ciryl Gane retained his heavyweight title by defeating Josh Hokit via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 48-47 in Gane’s favor.

The scoring was close, and so was the fight. Hokit came out swinging from the opening bell, but Gane managed to control the action in the later rounds. 

Both fighters had their moments, but Gane did enough to earn the nod from all three judges. Following the result, several names from the MMA world shared their reactions.

MMA Stars React to Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit

Former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou kept it short. “Great war. Congratulations, bon gamin!” he wrote.

Former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was in Abu Dhabi for RAF’s event but still made time to share his thoughts. “This is the most exciting UFC heavyweight fight I’ve ever watched!” he wrote.

Paulo Costa appeared to echo the reaction of many watching the fight. He wrote, “What the hell did I just watch? These two guys tried to kill each other for 25 minutes. Crazy fight. Respect.”

Featherweight Kevin Vallejos wrote. “We are Team Hokit,” he wrote.

Derek Brunson saw something bigger in the main event. “This is the future of the heavyweight division, two in-shape heavyweights who can scrap. RIP to the fat heavyweights!”

It’s a fair point. Gane weighed in at 242.6 pounds, while Hokit came in at 231.4 pounds. Both were well below the heavyweight division’s 265-pound limit, offering a different look from the traditional heavyweight title fight.

Not everyone was impressed. Johnny Walker took shots at Gane for circling away as Hokit kept coming forward. “How does a champ defend his belt walking backwards 5 rounds?” He wrote.

Walker, who made his heavyweight debut this year and holds a 2-0 record in the division, also claimed that he could defeat both Hokit and Gane on just one day’s notice.

Former heavyweight champion Jon Jones also reacted to the fight, taking a shot at Hokit. Meanwhile, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo was not convinced by the decision and called for a rematch.