The UFC hasn’t had a non-interim UFC heavyweight title fight since October 2025. That bout saw Tom Aspinall unable to continue the defense of his crown against Ciryl Gane following an eye poke late in the first round. That run comes to an end at UFC 334 when Gane, who was recently elevated to undisputed champion status, puts his crown on the line against Josh Hokit. Gane vs. Hokit serves as the main event of UFC 334, which takes place on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Aspinall surrendered his title earlier this month via a social media post. In part, he wrote, “I’ve now made the decision to vacate the heavyweight title. I’ve asked the UFC to allow me to make this statement because I don’t want to hold the heavyweight division up. I know what it’s like to have your career put on hold and I want the other fighters to have the opportunity to compete for the title.”
“Ongoing complications with my eyes mean I cannot get medically cleared to fight right now,” Aspinall continued. “I’ve had multiple surgeries, accidents and infections, and done everything possible to get back to competing. I know there have been questions about why I’ve been quiet. I’ve always followed the advice of the UFC and focused on my recovery while we’ve tried to make this happen.”
With Aspinall out of the mix, the UFC elevated Gane to undisputed champion status and announced his first defense of that crown would be against Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334.
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UFC 334: Gane Vs. Hokit Opening Odds and Betting Line Movement
When betting opened for Gane vs. Hokit, the champ was a -230 betting favorite over Hokit, who came in at +193. Gane has become a bigger betting favorite. Today he is listed at -295, while Hokit checks in as the +243 betting underdog.
*Odds via BetOnline
UFC 334: Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit
The 36-year-old Ciryl Gane (14-2-1) has only lost in UFC title fights, falling to Francis Ngannou by decision in 2022 for the undisputed title, and losing to Jon Jones via submission in 2023 for the vacant belt. Gane first captured the interim heavyweight belt in 2021 with a knockout of Derrick Lewis. His loss to Ngannou halted that run. He regained the interim crown in June of this year when he knocked out Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.
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The 28-year-old Hokit earned his UFC contract with a knockout on a Dana White’s Contender Series card in August 2025. Since then, Hokit has made the walk to the Octagon four times, picking up three TKO wins and a decision victory.
Hokit’s most recent victory was a TKO of Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250. After the win, Hokit was widely criticized for his post-fight declaration of “Michelle Obama is a man!”
Hokit is the No. 6 ranked fighter in the UFC heavyweight division.
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We will have more on UFC 334 as fight night nears.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
