UFC 334 Final Faceoffs: Josh Hokit Sends One Final Message to Ciryl Gane, Who Gets Heavily Booed

Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit are officially one day away from launching a new era for the UFC heavyweight division.

The two headliners took the stage Friday for the ceremonial weigh-ins at UFC 334 in New York, paving the way for Gane to defend his undisputed title for the first time against the controversial and undefeated American challenger. The two men, along with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, former two-division titleholder Amanda Nunes and the 22 other fighters on the UFC 334 card, faced off for their final faceoffs during the evening’s proceedings and made their final pre-fight remarks.

Hokit, 29, who enters the weekend having propelled himself into an improbable title shot just over a year after his UFC debut, engaged in a heated face-off with the champion, forcing Gane to remove his sunglasses before cutting one last promo on the mic.

“Ciryl, the code word will be colon cleanse, because I’m going to beat the shit out of you,” Hokit said. “Look, tomorrow night the future is born and the past is put in a fucking coffin. Tomorrow Gotham is saved.”

Gane, 36, won the interim heavyweight belt in June with a knockout over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the US White House. The Frenchman was then elevated to undisputed status in September after Tom Aspinall relinquished the belt.

“It’s just another fight for me,” said Gane, who is 0-2 in his previous two undisputed UFC championship fights and was booed heavily by the New York crowd. “I have a lot of experience and I’m going to show it to you this Saturday.”

Co-headliners Harrison and Nunes also shared a tense but respectful final showdown before their long-awaited grudge match for Harrison’s women’s bantamweight title.

Harrison, 36, and Nunes, 38, were once teammates on American Top Team during Nunes’ reign as two-division UFC champion, but their relationship has since blossomed into what appears to be a full-blown rivalry. Harrison now returns to action after neck surgery which forced the postponement of their originally scheduled showdown in January. UFC Hall of Famer Nunes makes his first appearance since retiring in June 2023.

“I’m honored, I’m hungry and I’m grateful,” Harrison said. “It’s been a lifetime for me. I look at my life and it’s a dream, and tomorrow is my night.”

“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Nunes said. “I’m happy to be here. New York, see you tomorrow guys. And again.”

Gn sports

Full results from the UFC 334 weigh-in:

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