Ciryl Gane Beats Josh Hokit, Judges' Scorecards, Prize Money, Stats & Highlights from UFC 334

Ciryl Gane successfully derailed the Josh Hokit hype train with a unanimous decision victory to defend his heavyweight title in the UFC 334 main event from Madison Square Garden.

Unsurprisingly, Hokit wasted no time in trying to impose his will on the fight. He charged at Gane from the opening bell and shot for an immediate takedown. He was able to get Gane to the mat, but it didn't last long. 

Some of Hokit's momentum was halted by an eye poke from Gane. That was sure to be a controversial moment given Gane's history with accidental eye pokes. 

However, Hokit recovered well enough to pick up Gane and drop him late in the first frame. 

Hokit's aggression didn't really slow down in the second round. He stayed right in front of the champion and pushed the pace for the whole round. 

Gane was landing. According to ESPN Fight Center, he actually landed more strikes than Hokit, but the challenger's pressure was clearly impacting his gameplan. Hokit was dragging Gane into deep waters to test his mettle in the championship rounds. 

Gane found more success in those championship rounds. He started going to shorter strikes in the clinch and increased his body work to slow Hokit down.

The 36-year-old continued to finish out the fight strong, opening up his striking game and finishing the fight with 252 significant strikes landed, per ESPN Fight Center. 

The win further cements Gane as the champion of the division, even if Tom Aspinall still looms.

This was technically Gane's first fight as the official champion of the division. He initially won the interim championship when he defeated Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250.

However, that's because of some unfinished business between Gane and Tom Aspinall. The 33-year-old's fight with Gane ended in a No Contest after an accidental eye poke ended the fight.

Unfortunately, Aspinall still hasn't returned. He has had multiple surgeries to address the eye injury he suffered in their bout. Gane became the undisputed heavyweight champion in Aspinall's absence.

"Yes of course," Gane said when asked if he has to beat Aspinall to feel like the undisputed champion. "I hope a speedy recovery for him, and then we're going to have a rematch for sure. Everyone wants to see this fight."

Gane feels as though he was winning the fight when the accidental eye poke happened in the first round, but there's still a feeling of the division being unresolved.

Aspinall has not set a timetable for when he'll be able to return to action so it's possible that Gane will have to fight someone else in his next defense.

For now, Gane sits atop the division as the undisputed king with a notable challenger vanquished.