Ciryl Gane retained the UFC heavyweight title after outpointing Josh Hokit in a chaotic brawl at Madison Square Garden during UFC 334, as reported by “The Independent”.
Gane secured three scorecards of 48-47 to hand Hokit his first professional defeat after 25 minutes of back-and-forth action.
The victory marked a successful first defense of the undisputed belt for Gane, who received the title in September after Tom Aspinall relinquished the regular championship.
Aspinall remains sidelined with an eye injury caused by Gane during their fight 13 months ago, according to “The Independent”.
During the first round against Hokit, referee Marc Goddard dismissed early complaints regarding an apparent eye poke from Gane.
Hokit fought impressively through the early phases and even slammed Gane to the mat, though his effectiveness faded in later rounds.
Gane capitalized by mixing in uppercuts, walking Hokit onto jabs, and working the body to secure the decision.
Outside of the cage, Hokit drew heavy criticism at the White House for labeling Michelle Obama a man, as detailed by “The Independent”.
In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison successfully defended her bantamweight title by submitting Amanda Nunes in round four.
Nunes was emerging from a three-year retirement and started strongly before her ill-advised decision to grapple with the two-time Olympic judo champion shifted the momentum.
Harrison controlled the action on the mat across multiple rounds with strikes and elbows.
After catching a kick and taking Nunes down in the fourth frame, Harrison swiftly locked in a rear-naked choke.
Nunes instantly tapped out, bringing a definitive end to her ill-fated return to the cage.