Ciryl Gane is still the UFC heavyweight champion after topping Josh Hokit in one of the most chaotic fights ever.
Gane defeated Hokit via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) to retain the title in the UFC 334 main event Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Gane overcame a frenetic pace from Hokit and punished him in the championship rounds to secure the victory.
"It was a tough fight," Gane said in his postfight interview.
The 36-year-old Frenchman said he wasn't surprised by Hokit's nonstop pressure.
"All the people around the world underestimated him. Not me," Gane said. "He did so well tonight."
Gane defended the heavyweight title for the first time. The UFC elevated him to undisputed champion in September after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt due to lingering eye issues. Gane captured the interim title against Alex Pereira at the White House in June and was expected to face Aspinall before the promotion was forced to pivot to the matchup with Hokit instead.
In a post on Instagram, Hokit said he wants to fight Gane again right away.
"Immediate rematch, please," Hokit wrote.
Gane and Hokit made history in their instant classic. Gane's 237 significant strikes were the most landed by one fighter in a UFC heavyweight bout. Additionally, he and Hokit (146) combined for the most significant strikes landed in a heavyweight fight (383).
Both fighters were transported to a hospital afterward and won't speak with the media, a UFC official told MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn. They earned an additional $100,000 for Fight for the Night honors.
Hokit set a ridiculous pace in the first round, walking Gane down and landing punches. But it was a competitive opening five minutes. Gane caught Hokit with a few hard uppercuts and got in his own offense even though he was fighting off his back foot.
Hokit continued to overwhelm Gane with pressure in the second round, but Gane exchanged punches with the challenger in the pocket. Hokit clearly won the third round and led on all three judges' scorecards entering the championship rounds.
However, Gane found a second wind in the last two rounds. He landed the much more effective shots in the fourth, his best round of the fight. And in the fifth, Gane pushed the pace as Hokit finally started to tire out. He battered Hokit with punches down the stretch to seal the win on the judges' scorecards.
Gane is now riding a five-fight unbeaten streak. "Bon Gamin" hasn't lost since he faced Jon Jones for the vacant title in March 2023. He improved to 15-2 (1 NC) as a professional.
Hokit suffered the first loss of his career, falling to 4-1 in the UFC and 10-1 as a pro.
"I will rejoice in my suffering," Hokit said in his postfight interview. "Suffering builds endurance, endurance builds character, and character builds hope. I will never lose hope. I will be champion one day. You guys can kick me while I'm down, I'll still break your f-----g leg."
The 29-year-old made his UFC debut last November and won his first four fights in the promotion, skyrocketing into title contention. Hokit won a Fight of the Year candidate against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in April and then finished Derrick Lewis via TKO at the White House two months later to earn a crack at the belt.
