The Ultimate Fighting Championship is officially ready for its high-profile return to the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, following a dramatic and eventful morning of official weigh-ins for UFC 334. Fighters stepped onto the scales to lock in their matchups for what promises to be a blockbuster card in New York City, though the proceedings were not entirely without the typical drama associated with weight-cutting in modern mixed martial arts. Out of the entire roster scheduled to compete across the evening’s main card and preliminary bouts, only two competitors failed to hit their contracted weight limits, casting minor shadows over their specific preliminary matchups but leaving the marquee championship and co-main event bouts entirely intact.
For the event headliners, heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane and surging challenger Josh Hokit, the morning scale-check proved to be a smooth affair. Both athletes had zero issues coming in well under the 265-pound heavyweight limit, clearing the final procedural hurdle for their championship showdown. Gane, checking in at an official 242.6 pounds, brings a wealth of elite championship experience and striking mastery into the iconic New York venue. Across the cage, the undefeated challenger Josh Hokit tipped the scales at 231.4 pounds, comfortably under the divisional ceiling while giving up roughly eleven pounds of mass to the champion.
This upcoming clash marks a monumental milestone for Gane, who carries a professional record of 14 wins, 2 losses, and 1 no-contest into his first official title defense. "Bon Gamin" originally claimed the full heavyweight championship earlier this year by securing a definitive technical knockout victory over elite multi-division threat Alex Pereira. The belt had previously become vacant when former titleholder Tom Aspinall relinquished the championship. Gane now looks to cement his legacy at the top of the division against Hokit, a dangerous and charismatic challenger sporting a pristine 10-0 professional record. Hokit earned his long-awaited title opportunity through a combination of an outsized personality and impressive, high-profile victories over formidable divisional veterans Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, setting the stage for a compelling contrast of styles and momentum at the top of the bill.
Equally anticipated by fans and pundits alike is the women’s bantamweight co-main event, which also saw smooth sailing at the scales. Both Kayla Harrison and the returning Amanda Nunes successfully made weight, hitting the exact bantamweight championship limit of 135 pounds. The inclusion of Nunes brings immense excitement as the legendary former dual-division champion makes her highly anticipated return to the Octagon, where she will lock horns with Harrison in a fight that many consider to be one of the most intriguing female matchups in the history of the sport. With both elite competitors safely making weight, the co-main event is fully locked in to deliver fireworks at Madison Square Garden.
While the upper echelon of the fight card experienced absolute perfection on the scale, the preliminary card saw minor setbacks for two athletes. Terrance McKinney and Juan Diaz both failed to hit their contracted marks for their respective preliminary bouts. McKinney weighed in significantly over the lightweight limit at 160.2 pounds for his matchup against seasoned veteran Jim Miller, missing the mark by 4.2 pounds. Meanwhile, Diaz had a much narrower miss, coming in at 136.4 pounds for his bantamweight preliminary clash against Heili Alateng, missing the limit by a mere four-tenths of a pound. As per standard athletic commission and promotional protocols, both McKinney and Diaz will be penalized for their weight misses, forfeiting a designated percentage of their respective fight purses to their opponents, though both bouts will proceed as scheduled.
The remainder of the extensive fight card official weigh-ins yielded successful results across all other weight classes. In the middleweight division, Caio Borralho weighed in at 185.4 pounds, successfully preparing for his bout against Yousri Belgaroui, who registered a right-on-the-number 186 pounds. In the welterweight division, Uros Medic came in at 171 pounds, while his opponent, the always-entertaining Kevin Holland, weighed in at 170.4 pounds. Flyweights Bilal Hasan and Luis Gurule also had clean checks, registering 125.4 pounds and 125.2 pounds respectively.
Veteran presence remains strong on the card, with former title challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson weighing in at 170.6 pounds ahead of his welterweight encounter with Charles Radtke, who tipped the scale at 170.8 pounds. In the lightweight division, reliable action fighters Drew Dober and Chris Duncan both hit the identical mark of 155.4 pounds. Veteran stalwart Jim Miller weighed in at 155.6 pounds for his altered-weight engagement with the aforementioned McKinney.
Further down the preliminary lineup, middleweights Donte Johnson and Cesar Almeida weighed in at 189 pounds and 189.6 pounds respectively. Lightweight competitors Jared Gordon (155.6 pounds) and Melquizael Costa (155.4 pounds) smoothly made weight for their pairing. In the women’s bantamweight division, Macy Chiasson registered 134.8 pounds, while her opponent Beatriz Mesquita came in slightly heavier at 135.8 pounds. Heili Alateng successfully made the bantamweight limit at 135.6 pounds prior to Diaz’s slight infraction. Finally, lightweight competitors Evan Elder and Samuel Sanches wrapped up the morning’s proceedings by weighing in at 156 pounds and 153.6 pounds respectively.
UFC 334 is scheduled to stream live in its entirety on Paramount+. Fans tuning in for the action will have a full evening of bouts ahead of them, with the early preliminary and preliminary action scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. ET, corresponding to 2 p.m. PT. Following the preliminary card, the stakes will rise significantly as the main card transition takes place, with the high-profile pay-per-view style main card slated to begin at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT, culminating in the heavyweight championship battle between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit inside the historic confines of Madison Square Garden.
