UFC 334 has Ciryl Gane set to defend the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit following Tom Aspinall’s decision to vacate the championship. Gane, who previously held the interim belt, was promoted to undisputed champion and will now look to cement his place at the top of the division.
Hokit, meanwhile, brings an unbeaten 10-0 record into the biggest fight of his career. He has made quite an impression with recent victories over Curtis Blaydes and 41-year-old Derrick Lewis, but jumping straight into a title fight after those wins is still a massive step up.
Gane has faced a much higher level of competition throughout his career, giving him a clear edge in experience heading into the matchup. Still, his team isn’t treating Hokit as just another challenger. In fact, the Frenchman’s camp recently offered the American some serious praise by drawing comparisons between him and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Ciryl Gane’s Camp Refuses to Underestimate Josh Hokit Ahead of UFC 334
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Gane’s coach, Fernand Lopez, drew comparisons between Hokit and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Lopez believes the American brings much more to the table than just power and forward pressure. He said, “He’s not just a regular, like another heavyweight just coming forward to punch people.”
Lopez went on to explain what makes Hokit such a difficult opponent, pointing to his ability to mix striking with wrestling and constantly switch between the two. He explained, “He’s something. I think that besides Cain Velasquez, that’s a long time we didn’t have a kind of wrestler that can punch you, make you guess, go for wrestling. If it’s not working, go back to try to lock you down. He’s not just relying on wrestling.”
The coach added, “He can put you out on the feet. He can put you out, submit you, or ground-and-pound you. It’s well deserved for him, and he’s a huge challenge for Ciryl.”
There is a reason Lopez is taking Hokit’s wrestling so seriously. Gane’s two career losses, against Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou, both came when his opponents were able to capitalize on their grappling. With that history in mind, Lopez expects Hokit to bring a similar approach to their UFC 334 showdown.
He said, “Of course he will wrestle, but he’s not going to wrestle right away because the good way to wrestle is to pretend that you will be striking. The good way to strike is pretend that you will be wrestling someone. So that’s the difference. That’s what he would be there to do.”
Lopez also highlighted Hokit’s ability to close the distance, keep opponents under pressure, and maintain a high pace throughout a fight. His performance against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 was a perfect example, as Hokit landed 177 significant strikes over three rounds in a fight that emerged as a Fight of the Year contender.
Speaking about that performance, Lopez said, “Josh Hokit is the guy that takes out that space between you and him and brings the fight to you – brings the fight very hard, pressure, punches, and level change, and he can do that for a long time. He just hit the heavyweight record of strikes, like 177 significant strikes with the Curtis Blaydes fight. That’s huge. That shows you how good he is.”
As for Hokit’s trash talk, Lopez isn’t too concerned. The American has made it part of his personality and uses it to build hype around his fights. Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has also pointed to the Velasquez blueprint as a potential path for Hokit to beat Gane.
With Gane widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division, Hokit may need to make the most of his wrestling if he wants to turn the tables at Madison Square Garden.