Josh Hokit is the undefeated UFC heavyweight using pepper spray in training to prepare for Ciryl Gane. Taking a blast to the face and working through drills half-blind sounds insane, but it fits Hokit’s mindset ahead of the biggest fight of his life. Training through burning eyes makes sense after Gane’s 2025 bout with Tom Aspinall ended in a no contest due to an eye poke. Hokit, a former Clovis High School wrestling standout who spent time as a San Francisco 49ers fullback, brings a 10-0 mixed martial arts record into a heavyweight title fight at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2026. His explosive power, relentless toughness and ruthless, devastating mentality are turning combat sports heads. #ufc #mma #joshhokit #cirylgane
Undefeated heavyweight Josh Hokit is reportedly preparing for the biggest night of his career by taking blasts of pepper spray to the face in training, then working through drills with burning eyes. Hokit faces champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2026.
The unusual method has a clear logic. Gane's most recent recorded title fight before his current run, a 2025 bout with Tom Aspinall at UFC 321, ended in a no contest after an eye poke in the first round. Hokit is apparently drilling for the chance that something similar happens again, and for the discomfort of fighting while partly blind.
Hokit arrives with a 10-0 record. A former Clovis High School wrestling standout, he also spent time as a San Francisco 49ers fullback. His profile has been built on explosive power and a reputation for relentless toughness.
Gane, 36, holds the heavyweight title with a 14-2-0 record. The Frenchman from MMA Factory stands six-foot-four, or 193 cm, with an 81-inch reach of 206 cm, and fights from an orthodox stance. His numbers underline a precise striking game: 5.29 significant strikes landed per minute at 61 percent accuracy. He averages just 0.68 takedowns and 0.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
His form is strong. Gane's most recent recorded fight was a second-round KO/TKO win over Alex Pereira in a title fight at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026. Before that came the Aspinall no contest in October 2025 and a split-decision win over Alexander Volkov in December 2024.
Why it matters
- Hokit moves from prospect to title challenger, testing an unbeaten record against a champion with a recent knockout win.
- The wrestling-versus-striking contrast is plain: Gane's 61 percent striking accuracy meets a challenger whose background is in wrestling and football.
- Gane's low takedown rate of 0.68 per 15 minutes suggests he is far more comfortable on the feet than in scrambles.
Gane's 2025 eye-poke experience is the reason Hokit's pepper spray work makes sense as preparation, even if the method sounds extreme. How much it matters will only be known once the cage door closes at Madison Square Garden.
