UFC 334 preview & predictions: Gane vs. Hokit, Harrison vs. Nunes

It’s time for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s annual November trip to Madison Square Garden, topped by a compelling pair of title fights. The heavyweight title picture remains unsettled, but Josh Hokit has a chance to complete his sudden rise by taking the belt from Ciryl Gane. Meanwhile, the UFC 334 co-main event is the furthest thing from a meeting between upstarts, as Kayla Harrison defends against Amanda Nunes in a potentially legacy-defining matchup. The rest of the main card promises action: Yousri Belgaroui seeks a breakthrough against Caio Borralho, Uros Medic and Kevin Holland should deliver at welterweight, and flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan gets a potential showcase against Luis Gurule.

Sherdog's Tom Feely predicts Ciryl Gane and Amanda Nunes to win UFC 334 title fights at Madison Square Garden

Heavyweights
Ciryl Gane (14-2, 1 N/C) vs. Josh Hokit (10-0)

Odds: Gane (-230), Hokit (+190)

The UFC’s heavyweight championship lineage is in an odd place. Francis Ngannou left without losing his title in the cage. Jon Jones retired without losing his, and his retirement never feels entirely permanent. Tom Aspinall vacated the belt while dealing with an injury. Then there’s Ciryl Gane, the reigning champion.

Gane’s rapid rise was deserved. Within two years of turning professional, he looked like a top-five heavyweight. His size, fluidity and athleticism left less-skilled opponents with few answers to his striking.

That brought him to a title-unification fight against Ngannou in early 2022, where poor decision-making contributed to a narrow defeat. The first four rounds were competitive, but Gane surrendered a promising position in the fifth to pursue a low-percentage heel hook. When it failed, Ngannou controlled the remainder of the round.

After Ngannou left, Gane appeared positioned to become the UFC’s leading heavyweight. Instead, Jones took him down and submitted him with a guillotine choke in just over two minutes. Gane’s reputation has never fully recovered.

He is unbeaten in four appearances since, but two results complicate his standing. Many observers considered his 2024 decision over Alexander Volkov a robbery. His title fight against Aspinall last year ended in a no contest after eye pokes left the champion unable to continue. Gane did some effective work during the four and a half minutes they fought, but the injury and its aftermath overshadowed everything else.

Gane subsequently stopped Alex Pereira for an interim title at UFC Freedom 250 in June. A rematch with Aspinall seemed the obvious next step, but Aspinall’s ongoing eye problems ultimately led him to vacate the championship. With few fresh contenders offering much star power, the UFC turned to Hokit, who has certainly managed to stand out.

Hokit’s persona is best ignored. He might possess less natural charm than Colby Covington, and the act obscures a legitimate heavyweight prospect still on the right side of 30. A former collegiate wrestler who also played fullback, Hokit remains technically rough but understands the value of relentless pressure. Whether striking or wrestling, he rarely gives opponents room to settle.

The UFC threw him into the deep end against Curtis Blaydes in April, despite his limited experience against high-level opposition. The result was a surprising Fight of the Year contender, with Hokit setting a torrid heavyweight pace and Blaydes struggling to match it.

Facing Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 felt like a step backward competitively, but the win raised Hokit’s profile further. Now he gets a title opportunity he could realistically convert.



Gane knows enough grappling to threaten opponents, but sometimes just enough to get himself into trouble. He has secured heel hooks and shown flashes of takedown defense, yet extended wrestling exchanges often expose his decision-making. It is easy to imagine Hokit applying enough immediate pressure to create those problems.

Hokit may need an early finish, however. He completed three hard rounds against Blaydes but was visibly tired late. For all Gane’s shortcomings, he remains capable of dismantling an exhausted opponent.

Gane’s composure has also faltered at times, but his movement and technical striking should present a different challenge from those posed by Blaydes and Lewis. That leaves questions about how well Hokit’s rise translates to this matchup, even given the modest standards of heavyweight contention in 2026.

This feels close to a coin flip, but the lean is toward Gane surviving early trouble and taking over late. The pick is Gane by fifth-round stoppage.

Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims

Women’s Bantamweights
Kayla Harrison (19-1) vs. Amanda Nunes (23-5)

Odds: Harrison (-192), Nunes (+160)

This is clearly the biggest fight available at women’s bantamweight, even if the timing feels imperfect.

When Holly Holm upset Ronda Rousey in 2015, the division seemed destined to revolve around major fights involving Holm, Rousey and Miesha Tate. Instead, Amanda Nunes emerged as the biggest winner. Previously a dangerous slugger with questionable endurance, she put everything together in time to beat Tate for the title at UFC 200, then demolished Rousey to close 2016.

Nunes spent the following years building her case as the greatest female fighter in MMA history. Wins over Holm, Valentina Shevchenko and Cris Cyborg helped establish her dominance. By 2021, few obvious challengers remained.

Then Julianna Pena upended everything. Nunes dominated the first round but tired, allowing Pena to recover and secure a stunning second-round submission.

Nunes restored order with a commanding rematch victory. A planned trilogy never materialized after Pena withdrew injured, leaving Nunes to face Irene Aldana in 2023. Following another decisive win, Nunes retired.

The division looked thin afterward, with too few emerging contenders to replace its departing veterans. Harrison’s arrival in 2024 provided a much-needed addition.

A two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, Harrison was a major signing for the Professional Fighters League, even if the promotion struggled to maximize her appeal. Much of that stemmed from the absence of a natural division for her. Fighting primarily at 155 pounds, she faced opponents who often could not match her physical strength.

Larissa Pacheco was the notable exception. After losing their first two meetings, she edged Harrison by decision in 2022. Harrison then beat another UFC veteran, Aspen Ladd, leaving little unfinished business in the PFL.

Her UFC signing was nevertheless surprising, particularly because it included a move to 135 pounds. Making weight has not prevented her from competing successfully, and she claimed the bantamweight championship in her third UFC appearance.

Those performances have revealed clear strengths and weaknesses. Harrison’s judo is formidable in close quarters, but her striking remains stiff and uncomfortable when she must rely on it.

That created an intriguing matchup with the returning Nunes when they were first scheduled to meet in January. The ensuing 10 months have introduced considerable uncertainty. Harrison’s neck injury required surgery, and the circumstances make this feel as much like a special attraction as a championship fight with a clear future beyond it.

On paper, either woman has a plausible route to a decisive win. Nunes has been vulnerable to takedowns, so Harrison could ground her and finish. Alternatively, Harrison’s injury layoff and limited striking could leave her tentative against a rare opponent with genuine knockout power.

The call is the latter, though Nunes’ retirement layoff and Harrison’s recovery make this difficult to assess confidently. The pick is Nunes by second-round knockout.

Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims

Middleweights
Caio Borralho (18-2, 1 N/C) vs. Yousri Belgaroui (11-3)

Odds: Borralho (-155), Belgaroui (+130)

The UFC often rushes prospects up the ladder, but this looks like an appropriate time to discover what Yousri Belgaroui can do against elite competition.

The 6-foot-6 kickboxing convert did not look comfortable in MMA during his first few years. He dropped decisions on the regional circuit, then struggled against Marco Tulio on the Contender Series in 2023.

More experience helped. Belgaroui looked considerably better when he returned to the series in 2024, and he has been a revelation since his UFC debut last year.

His kickboxing, size and reach now work together effectively, allowing him to dictate distance and keep opponents at bay. Victories over Azamat Bekoev and Mansur Abdul-Malik have lost some luster following their subsequent struggles, but Belgaroui has shown the tools to trouble much of the division.

Already in his mid-30s after a lengthy combat sports career, he deserves a significant test before age limits his effectiveness. Caio Borralho provides it.

Borralho was the first of the “Fighting Nerds” to establish himself in the UFC. Despite talk of advancing MMA’s next evolution, “The Natural” relies on a familiar combination of karate-based striking and powerful wrestling.

He is not reinventing the sport, but he is effective and carries substantial power. At middleweight, being dangerous in two phases has often been enough to produce considerable success.

Last year’s contender matchup with Nassourdine Imavov exposed limitations. Borralho can snipe effectively, but he does not consistently build combinations. With Imavov defending the takedowns, the Frenchman could outpace him on the feet.

Belgaroui could create similar difficulties. His combinations and range management may leave Borralho struggling to keep up in extended striking exchanges.

The critical difference is defensive wrestling. Imavov had it; Belgaroui has yet to prove he can consistently handle an opponent of Borralho’s caliber in that phase.

Belgaroui could surprise, but the lean is toward Borralho taking over after an initial feeling-out period. The pick is Borralho by second-round submission.

Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims

Welterweights
Uros Medic (14-3) vs. Kevin Holland (29-15, 1 N/C)

Odds: Medic (-148), Holland (+124)

Uros Medic’s success remains somewhat surprising.

Born in Serbia, Medic developed on Alaska’s regional circuit, using size and physicality to overwhelm limited opposition. Unsurprisingly, he entered the UFC with an approach built around aggression and little regard for what might come back.

That made him an entertaining glass cannon. When his frame eventually necessitated a move from lightweight to welterweight, his defensive vulnerabilities became more concerning against opponents who could match him physically.

After Punahele Soriano demolished him in early 2025, Medic appeared close to the UFC’s cut line. Instead, he has kept winning.

His fights have always carried a kill-or-be-killed quality, and four consecutive contests have gone his way. Gilbert Urbina, Muslim Salikhov, Geoff Neal and Daniel Rodriguez all fell to first-round knockouts, each in 79 seconds or less.

That run will end eventually, and Kevin Holland is a reasonable candidate to stop it.

Holland’s willingness to accept fights and constant trash talk made him an unlikely breakout star in 2020. He repeatedly stepped in as the UFC assembled cards during the pandemic, and his running commentary enlivened otherwise empty arenas.

Turning that popularity into contention proved harder. Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori exposed his deficient takedown defense in 2021, establishing a limitation that has followed him.

Since then, Holland has moved between welterweight and middleweight without finding consistent footing. His skills remain evident, but his improvisational approach does not always serve him well.

This is, after all, someone who attempted a flying triangle choke against Thiago Santos in his UFC debut. That willingness to experiment remains part of his game. He often seems to arrive expecting to discover a winning approach as the fight unfolds, which has worked only intermittently.

If Holland performs poorly, Medic could sustain enough pressure to capitalize, provided he withstands the return fire. More likely, Medic’s aggression forces an immediate confrontation. Holland has generally been durable against strikes and has the submission skills to punish a reckless exchange. The pick is Holland by first-round submission.

Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims

Flyweights
Bilal Hasan (10-0, 1 N/C) vs. Luis Gurule (11-4)

Odds: Hasan (-1100), Gurule (+700)

The UFC is backing several high-upside prospects from this year’s Dana White’s Contender Series, and Bilal Hasan may lead that group.

Born in Hawaii and fighting out of the Pacific Northwest, Hasan proudly represents his Indonesian heritage. He could become a breakthrough figure for a country with a developing MMA scene.

Hasan remains raw and sometimes appears to underestimate opponents, but “The Indoninja” checks plenty of boxes as a future contender. He is a dynamic striker with knockout power whose offense can become more dangerous as a fight develops.

The UFC moved quickly, arranging his successful promotional debut just two and a half weeks after his Contender Series victory. Now he receives a main-card opportunity at Madison Square Garden against Luis Gurule.

Gurule earned his UFC place with an unbeaten record and an impressive Contender Series win but has struggled inside the Octagon. His approach makes sense: He is a determined wrestler with enough striking to supplement his takedowns. The difficulty is that his stocky build and limited speed leave him struggling to match the athleticism of most UFC flyweights.

Wrestlers have slowed Hasan before, so this could prove more difficult than the odds suggest. Eventually, though, Hasan should create an opening and turn the fight sharply in his favor. The pick is Hasan by first-round knockout.

Jump To »
Gane vs. Hokit
Harrison vs. Nunes
Borralho vs. Belgaroui
Medic vs. Holland
Hasan vs. Gurule
The Prelims