Unbeaten Hokit points to Jones' guillotine blueprint to dethrone Gane at UFC 334

Josh Hokit enters his UFC heavyweight title challenge at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden convinced that Jackson-Wink MMA already has the answer to Ciryl Gane — because one of their own has already solved the puzzle. The unbeaten contender (10-0) points to Jon Jones’ guillotine choke finish of Gane at UFC 285 in March 2023 as the blueprint his team intends to follow.

Jones submitted Gane at 2:04 of the first round to claim the vacant heavyweight title that night, and Hokit made clear he expects history to rhyme. “My coaches are familiar with Ciryl Gane,” Hokit said on the UFC 334 Countdown Show. “My coaches know how to beat him because it’s already happened. The Jackson-Wink camp, they know how to beat Ciryl Gane in under two minutes.”

Coach Mike Winkeljohn backed his fighter’s confidence, pointing to conditioning and tactical intelligence as the edges Hokit carries into the bout. “The advantage that Josh has over Ciryl is definitely the conditioning factor behind it,” Winkeljohn said. “He can change levels, accelerate forward, play the game outside, and mess with your head. So, you are fighting a really high-level, intelligent strategist.”

Winkeljohn was equally bullish about the finish. “Josh will not be beaten. Josh is going to slowly figure out a way to close the gap,” he added. “It’s gonna be a lot of chaos going on for Ciryl that he’s going to have to deal with, and Josh will find a way to finish him.”

Gane arrives at the Garden off a strong title defence, having stopped light heavyweight champion-turned-heavyweight challenger Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. The Frenchman will be looking to show that the blueprint Jones used two years ago no longer applies — and that a 10-0 record does not guarantee a shortcut to his belt.