Josh Hokit is ready for his title shot, and he wants everyone—especially the champion—to know exactly how he plans to seize it. On Saturday night, the electrifying contender will challenge Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 334, taking center stage at a packed arena in New York City. It has been nothing short of a miraculous rise up the ranks for Hokit, who just a year ago was grinding his way into the Ultimate Fighting Championship via Dana White’s Contender Series. Powered by an explosive, high-intensity fighting style and a sharp, outspoken persona on the microphone, Hokit has captured the imagination of the MMA world. At the UFC 334 ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, he stuck to the script that has brought him this far, talking trash to Gane all through their tense final faceoff before delivering a blistering warning to the champion.
The atmosphere inside the venue reached a fever pitch as Hokit took the stage, refusing to break eye contact with the division’s elite striker. Microphones caught the challenger’s unfiltered words as he laid out his vision for Saturday night’s main event.
“Ciryl, the code word is gonna be colon cleanse, because I’m gonna beat the shit out of you,” Hokit declared to the roaring New York City crowd. “Listen, tomorrow night, the future is born, and the past is put in the f*cking casket. Tomorrow, Gotham is saved.”
For his part, Gane kept his trademark cool, responding to Hokit’s aggressive verbal barrage with the same calm, dismissive attitude he has maintained throughout the entire buildup to this championship clash. The Frenchman, known for his elite technical kickboxing and vast experience at the highest level of the sport, refused to let the challenger’s antics rattle him.
“It’s just another fight for me,” Gane stated smoothly, projecting absolute confidence. “I’ve got a lot of experience, and I’m gonna show you this Saturday.”
While the heavyweight belt serves as the crown jewel of the evening, the rest of the UFC 334 card boasts elite-level matchups that have captured the combat sports world’s attention. The co-main event on Saturday features a long-awaited, high-stakes women’s bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes. The matchup pits two dominant forces against one another, and while things got a little tense between the former training partners and teammates at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, both women kept things remarkably cordial for their final face-off on Friday afternoon.
Nunes, looking relaxed and focused as she steps back into the spotlight, addressed the crowd with characteristic poise. “I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Nunes said. “Happy to be here. New York, see you guys tomorrow. And again!”
Harrison responded with an impassioned speech that highlighted her deep emotional investment in the championship opportunity. “I’m humbled, I’m hungry, and I’m grateful,” Harrison responded. “This has been a lifetime in the making for me. I look at my life, and it’s a dream. And tomorrow it’s my night. God is good. Let’s go get it! Time to kill for the love of killing! Let’s go!”
The intensity of the weekend’s events extended far beyond the marquee title fights. The other 22 fighters scheduled to compete on the UFC 334 card also stepped on stage for their ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday, fulfilling media obligations and giving fans one last look before they step into the Octagon. However, the fighters on Saturday’s card were not the only notable athletes in the building. Before the ceremonial weigh-ins kicked off, UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van squared up with Manel Kape for the very first time, setting off a wave of anticipation for a completely separate future event.
Van and Kape are officially booked to face each other in the main event of UFC 336, which is slated for January. Shortly before Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins got underway, an opening press conference was held to promote that upcoming card. While Van notably did not show up for the press conference itself, he managed to arrive just in time to still face off with Kape on stage. The brief encounter made it abundantly clear that genuine animosity exists between the two flyweights, ensuring that the January headliner will feature no shortage of bad blood when the time finally comes.
