FROM THE PRELIMS TO A UFC TITLE SHOT IN LESS THAN A YEAR. 🤯🔥 Josh Hokit’s rise has been absolutely INSANE. On January 24, he demolished Denzel Freeman in the first round at UFC 324. Now, just 10 months later, he’s undefeated at 10-0 and preparing to challenge Ciryl Gane for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden this Saturday! 🏆 One of the craziest rises in recent UFC history. Can Hokit complete the fairytale and become world champion? 👀 Proud partner of @frepouch 🔴 For more UFC content, please consider following @mmasterclass_! #ufc #mma #fight #nyc #sports
Josh Hokit, the undefeated heavyweight whose UFC career began less than a year ago, is set to challenge Ciryl Gane for the undisputed heavyweight championship at Madison Square Garden this Saturday. Hokit enters the bout at 10-0.
The speed of the climb is the story. Hokit knocked out Denzel Freeman in the first round at UFC 324 on January 24. Roughly ten months later, he is preparing for a title fight in one of the sport's most famous arenas.
Gane, 36, is the reigning champion and holds a 14-2-0 record. The Frenchman, who trains with MMA Factory, stands six-foot-four (193 cm) and fights out of an orthodox stance with an 81-inch (206 cm) reach. He lands 5.29 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy, and averages 0.68 takedowns and 0.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
His recent form is strong. In his most recent recorded fight, on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250, Gane stopped Alex Pereira in the second round to win a title fight by KO/TKO. Before that, his October 2025 bout with Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 ended in a no contest when it could not continue in the first round. Back in December 2024, he beat Alexander Volkov by split decision at UFC 310.
Why it matters
- Hokit is attempting one of the fastest ascents to a heavyweight title in recent UFC history, moving from his first fight in the promotion to a championship bout in under a year.
- Gane is looking for another title defense after finishing Pereira, a result that sits alongside a run of high-level opposition including Aspinall and Volkov.
- The matchup pairs an unbeaten challenger with a champion whose last three recorded bouts all came against elite names.
Experience is the clearest gap between the two. Gane has fought for the heavyweight title more than once and has faced top-tier competition in each of his recent outings, while Hokit's perfect record has been built over a far shorter UFC stay. Gane also has a 36-year-old's seasoning against a challenger whose career in the promotion is measured in months.
The fight takes place this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
