Josh Hokit is not worried about eye pokes!! The last year Ciryl Gane has undergone heavy online abuse for eye poking Tom Aspinall and many red flags have been raised through out his career with potential illegal shots. Hokit however is coming for the belt regardless of eye pokes or illegal shots. Hokit said if he gets eye poked or any potential illegal fouls, it's a fight and he will fight that way. Hokit has exploded onto the scene the last year with him only being in the UFC a little over a year to now fighting the for ultimate prize at the home of combat sports, Madison Square Garden. Who wins and how?
Josh Hokit says the threat of eye ppokes and other fouls will not change his approach as he prepares to challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden.
Hokit said that if he is eye poked or hit with any other illegal shot, it simply becomes part of the fight, and he intends to fight that way. The comments come against a backdrop of heavy online criticism aimed at Gane over the past year, much of it tied to the eye poke in his bout with Tom Aspinall, and to broader questions about potentially illegal shots during his career.
Hokit has risen quickly. He has been in the UFC a little over a year and now finds himself fighting for the heavyweight belt at one of combat sports' most famous venues.
The champion
Gane, 36, is the reigning heavyweight champion and holds a 14-2-0 record. The Frenchman, who trains at MMA Factory, stands six-foot-four with an 81-inch reach, a 206 cm span that gives him a long-range weapon in the division. His career striking numbers are strong: 5.29 significant strikes landed per minute at 61 percent accuracy.
His recent form is notable. On June 14, 2026, at UFC Freedom 250, Gane stopped Alex Pereira with a second-round KO/TKO in a title fight, his most recent recorded bout. Before that, his October 2025 meeting with Aspinall at UFC 321 ended in a no contest when Aspinall could not continue in round one, the incident that fueled much of the criticism Hokit referenced. Before that, Gane beat Alexander Volkov by split decision at UFC 310 in December 2024.
Why it matters
- Hokit's rapid climb, from UFC debut to a title shot in just over a year, is unusually fast for the heavyweight division.
- Gane's eye poke controversy has made fouls a talking point heading into the fight, and Hokit has publicly said he will not let them derail him.
- Gane brings a long reach and accurate striking, while Hokit's stated mindset is to push through adversity rather than seek stoppages for fouls.
The bout puts a champion who has recently beaten Pereira against a challenger whose fast ascent has made him one of the division's most talked-about names.
