Ciryl Gane has defended his title at UFC 334 in New York. The French fighter beat the undefeated Josh Hokit via unanimous decision after five rounds. A big win for Gane after a very tough fight.
Gane defended his belt for the first time. For Hokit, it was his first professional loss.
Pressure From The Beginning
Hokit went right away for a takedown. Gane was able to stop many takedown attempts by Hokit. Hokit kept pushing forward the whole fight. The American fighter landed a couple of hard shots but also got hit with many counters by Gane.
Ciryl Gane wins by unanimous decision and remains the heavyweight champ!!
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Hokit kept on going forward, while Gane moved backwards and kept hitting him with some sharp jabs. Gane was successful with his knees to the body and his covered high kick. Only in the fifth round, Hokit finally gassed a little bit and wasn’t as pressuring anymore as in the other four rounds. After five rounds, Gane won via unanimous decision.
Domination
Kayla Harrison has defended her UFC bantamweight title. The champion beat former two-time champion Amanda Nunes in the fourth round by rear-naked choke submission. Besides a strong start from Nunes in the first two minutes, Harrison was in control.
KAYLA HARRISON SUBMITS AMANDA NUNES!!
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She controlled Nunes on the ground and had her in a crucifix. Nunes wasn’t able to do much. In the fourth round, Harrison took Nunes back and sank in the rear-naked choke. Nunes tapped out almost immediately.
A Big Upset
In the opener of the main card, Luis Gurule pulled off a massive upset split-decision win over the undefeated top prospect Bilal Hasan. Gurule came into the fight with a 1-4 record in the UFC.
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Hasan was a massive favorite coming into the fight, but besides the first round, Gurule was the dominant factor with his wrestling. Gurule edged out the second and third rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards and won the fight by split decision.
The Perfect Farewell
Many times when fighters enter their final fight, it doesn’t end with a happy ending. For Stephen Thompson, that wasn’t the case tonight. The former title challenger announced his retirement from MMA before the fight against Charles Radtke.
THIS WHEEL KICK BY WONDERBOY WAS INSANE
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Thompson had a tough start to the fight but was able to fight back, won the second round, and had all the momentum going into the final round. Thompson knocked out Radtke with a spinning hook kick. An exclamation point to his career.
No Time For Judges
Also in his 28th mixed martial arts fight, Terrance McKinney kept the judges out of it. The American fighter took on veteran Jim Miller in Madison Square Garden. McKinney, known for his knockout power, was able to put Miller away early in the fight.
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McKinney, who missed weight leading up to the fight, apologized afterwards and announced his move up to the welterweight division.
Full Results: UFC 334
Main Card
- Ciryl Gane def. Josh Hokit via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).
- Kayla Harrison def. Amanda Nunes via submission (rear-naked choke) – R4, 1:29.
- Caio Borralho def. Yousri Belgaroui via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Kevin Holland vs. Uroš Medić ends in a majority draw (29-27 Medic, 28-28, 28-28).
- Luis Gurule def. Bilal Hasan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
- Stephen Thompson def. Charles Radtke via TKO (spinning hook kick) – R3, 2:54.
- Chris Duncan def. Drew Dober via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-29, 29-28).
- Terrance McKinney def. Jim Miller via KO (punches) – R1, 1:53.
- César Almeida def. Donte Johnson via TKO (punches) – R1, 3:20.
Early Preliminary Card
- Melquizael Costa def. Jared Gordon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Bia Mesquita def. Macy Chiasson via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 3:23.
- Juan Diaz def. Alatengheili via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Evan Elder def. Samuel Sanches via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
Ciryl Gane Retains Title After War With Josh Hokit