HOKIT TO GANE: 'I DON'T THINK YOU DESERVE AN UNDISPUTED TITLE'
“I don't think he deserves an undisputed title… I don't think you should reward someone for cheating. But I think it's setting me up perfectly, because when I beat the f*ck out of him, I'm undisputed.”
The undefeated 28-year-old challenges Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight crown at UFC 334 — and says the belt was handed to the wrong man.
"I don't think you should reward someone for cheating."
Josh Hokit is not here to play nice. The undefeated heavyweight just torched Ciryl Gane's undisputed title on The Ariel Helwani Show — one month before he tries to take it from him at UFC 334.
Why It Matters Now
This is the heavyweight division's loudest subplot heading into November 14 at Madison Square Garden. Gane was elevated to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. Hokit — 10-0 and four fights into a violent UFC run — believes the crown was gift-wrapped. He plans to unwrap it himself.
"Reward Someone For Cheating"
Hokit did not hedge. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, he questioned Gane's status outright and promised to settle it in the cage:
"I don't think he deserves an undisputed title… I don't think you should reward someone for cheating. But I think it's setting me up perfectly, because when I beat the f*ck out of him, I'm undisputed. At the end of the day, that's what they want. When I'm the champion, I'm giving them four fights a year."
How We Got Here
Aspinall vacated the title after reinjuring his right eye in training for the Gane rematch. He is now waiting on medical clearance. Gane had already claimed the interim belt by knocking out Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. With Aspinall out, the UFC elevated "Bon Gamin" to undisputed champion. Hokit watched it happen — and fumed.
The Challenger's Case
Hokit is 28 and 10-0. He earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in August 2025 and has gone 4-0 since. The run includes a TKO of Derrick Lewis and a Fight of the Night war with Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327.
Dana White handed him this title shot and said he "deserves to be there." Hokit has even started calling himself White's "favorite fighter." Confidence is not his problem.
So here's the question for November 14: is Hokit the real heir to the heavyweight throne — or just the loudest man in the room? Either way, MSG is about to find out.
