Gane defends heavyweight title against Hokit as UFC returns to Madison Square Garden in November

Ciryl Gane will make the first defence of his UFC heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 14, with the full UFC 334 fight card now confirmed.

Hokit arrives with serious finishing power, having won three of his first four UFC bouts by knockout, making him a dangerous test for the newly crowned champion Gane in what promises to be a compelling main event.

The co-main event delivers one of the most anticipated matchups in women’s MMA. Bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison returns from a neck injury that kept her sidelined for an extended period to finally meet former two-division champion Amanda Nunes. Nunes had retired in June 2023 before this bout was arranged, adding another layer of intrigue to an already loaded card.

Among the most emotionally charged bouts on the card is Stephen Thompson’s farewell fight on the preliminary card. The beloved welterweight veteran faces Charles Radtke in what has been confirmed as his retirement bout, giving fans at MSG the chance to send off one of the division’s most distinctive competitors.

The main card is rounded out by Caio Borralho taking on Yousri Belgaroui at middleweight, Uros Medic meeting Kevin Holland, and Bilal Hasan clashing with Luis Gurule.

The prelims feature a string of compelling lightweight and featherweight matchups, including Jim Miller vs. Terrance McKinney, Drew Dober vs. Chris Duncan, and Adrian Yanez vs. Juan Diaz, alongside Bia Mesquita vs. Mach Chiasson, Donte Johnson vs. Baisangur Susurkaev, and Nazim Sadykhov vs. Jefferson Nascimento.

UFC 334 marks the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden, one of the sport’s most iconic venues, for what shapes up as one of the year’s most stacked pay-per-view events.