On Saturday night inside the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden, the heavyweight title was up for grabs in the UFC 334 main event when Ciryl Gane defended his undisputed title for the first time against controversial contender Josh Hokit.
After a five-round war of attrition, the Frenchman showed a new side of himself by outlasting the double tough American to score a unanimous decision win. Let’s take a look at how the top-10 now looks in our new UFC heavyweight rankings following UFC 334.
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Dominican big man Waldo Cortes Acosta has quietly become a legit top-10 fighter in the heavyweight division. In his first 12 bouts inside the Octagon, he has posted 10 wins, including against ranked talent. However, he has found out things get far tougher near the top of the mountain.
After a trio of knockout wins, “Salsa Boy” has been on the wrong end of three straight losses. The most recent came in November when he was handed a knockout loss by Johnny Walker. It put his place in our top 10 on very shaky ground.
9. Johnny Walker (24-10)
Oct 3, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Johnny Walker (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Mick Parkin (blue gloves) during UFC 332 at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Johnny Walker was an original star created by the Contender Series, and he turned that into a rock-solid career as one of the light heavyweight division’s most entertaining fighters — win or lose. However, after losing three of four, he made the decision to move up to heavyweight. It was the right one.
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After two bouts, the Brazilian has been just as exciting and even more effective at heavyweight. Scoring back-to-back knockout wins for the first time in three years. His latest came in November, when he KO’d top-10 fighter Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
8. Vitor Petrino (15-2)
Jul 12, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, United States; Vitor Petrino (red gloves) reacts after defeating Austin Lane (blue gloves) in the heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
After a solid 4-2 run at light heavyweight that ended in back-to-back losses, Vitor Petrino made the bold decision to move up in weight to battle the big boys at heavyweight. Well, after four fights, it looks like that was the right move because he is currently unbeaten in the division.
His latest victory came in August when he earned a hard-fought win over top-10 stalwart Sergei Spivac. The Brazilian is in line for another high-profile bout in his UFC return.
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7. Curtis Blaydes (20-6)
Sep 11, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, UNITED STATES; UFC fighter Curtis Blaydes during weigh-ins for UFC Noche Fight Night at Desert Diamond Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While Curtis Blaydes has had some tough losses during his career, he has remained a ranked heavyweight for much of the last decade by scoring wins over fighters like Junior dos Santos, Alexander Volkov, and Jailton Almeida during his tenure in the UFC.
However, in a UFC 327 scrap where he was a sizable favorite, the 35-year-old chose to engage Josh Hokit in a brawl, and it led to a surprise upset loss. He needed a win in his September return, and he got it over fellow top-10 fighter Waldo Cortes Acosta with a classic Blaydes performance. He used wrestling to outwork the Dominican for a decision victory.
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6. Valter Walker (16-1)
Jul 12, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, United States; fights Valter Walker (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Kennedy Nzechukwu (red gloves) in a heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Following a disappointing loss in his UFC debut two years ago — the first of his career — Brazil’s Valter Walker has caught fire. The heavyweight has won five straight, with all of them being first-round finishes. The latest came in July against Thomas Petersen when he scored the victory with a calf slicer.
Walker is fast becoming one of the heavyweight division’s most dangerous grapplers.
5. Sergei Pavlovich (20-3)
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Sergei Pavlovich has been an absolute crushing machine during much of his UFC career. After a loss to Alistair Overeem in his debut, he reeled off six straight wins, and all of those victories came by way of a devastating knockout. However, after swimming in the deep end of the division, he suffered back-to-back losses to two elite fighters.
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But since those setbacks, he has caught fire again. Pavlovich has won three straight, including a 39-second win over Tallison Teixeira at UFC Macau in May. The victory has him back in the thick of the heavyweight title hunt.
4. Josh Hokit (10-1)
Nov 14, 2026; New York, New York, UNITED STATES; Josh Hokit (blue gloves)reacts after a heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane (red gloves) during UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Josh Hokit has had one of the weirdest rises into title contention that the heavyweight division, maybe, has ever seen. But whether you hate him or love him, there is no denying he is a tough matchup for anyone in the weight class because of his gas tank and durability.
He showed that at UFC 334 in his first opportunity at the gold when he pushed Ciryl Gane to his absolute limit. While he didn’t get the win, he still moves up in our top 10 from an impressive effort in defeat and by being a top fighter in the division in just one year.
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3. Tom Aspinall (14-3)
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Englishman Tom Aspinall is the best heavyweight in the UFC. That became official when MMA GOAT Jon Jones decided to walk away from the sport earlier this year. The Englishman has beaten many of the best fighters in the division for the last three years and is the undisputed top big man in the eyes of most UFC fans.
After definitively avenging the lone loss of his UFC career in the summer of 2024, he made his first defense of the undisputed title in October. Unfortunately, a nasty eye poke from opponent Ciryl Gane ended the UFC 321 main event after just a few minutes. To the dismay of the MMA world, the uber-talented heavyweight has yet to return to action as he has had to undergo multiple surgeries to fix injuries to his eyes from those pokes.
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2. Alexander Volkov (41-11)
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Alexander Volkov has been a top-level MMA heavyweight for a long time. While he has been unable to earn a UFC title shot, he has remained a stalwart of the top 10 for years. Hovering around the title contender conversation since 2023.
If he doesn’t get an opportunity at gold in his next fight, it would be an MMA crime. The Russian is currently on a four-fight win streak that he extended in October at UFC 333 with a workmanlike effort against fellow ranked fighter Rizvan Kuniev
1. Ciryl Gane (15-2)
Nov 14, 2026; New York, New York, UNITED STATES; Ciryl Gane (red gloves) fights Josh Hokit (blue gloves) in a heavyweight title bout during UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
After entering the UFC in 2019, Ciryl Gane slowly worked his way up through the division until his unique gifts for a man his size became undeniable. Over 14 fights in the promotion, he has lost only twice, both times to weight-class and company greats Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. But his victories include two over Alexander Volkov, Derrick Lewis, and future Hall of Famer Alex Pereira.
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Gane’s latest win came at UFC 334, as the Frenchman proved he can win an ugly dogfight that didn’t play to his strengths. It showed a new layer to the big man, and it is why he is the undisputed heavyweight king.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
