The Champion Who Isn't at the Garden: Aspinall Picks Gane, Gane Takes Back a Harsh Word, and Hokit Wonders If Tom Is Coming Back

Ciryl Gane walks into Madison Square Garden tonight as the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, defending his belt against unbeaten Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334, with Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes meeting in the co-main. But all week, the fighter most people kept asking about was the one who will not be in the cage.

Tom Aspinall gave up the heavyweight title as he continues to recover from complications of an eye poke he suffered against Gane at UFC 321, the UFC said when it announced this card. That fight ended without a winner, and the belt Aspinall vacated is the one Gane now defends.

Aspinall has not been quiet. Bloody Elbow reported Friday that the Englishman is picking Gane, and expects the Frenchman to finish Hokit with strikes late in the fight, in the fourth or fifth round. "I think Gane's going to win," Aspinall said, according to that report.

According to Yahoo Sports, Aspinall has gone through several surgeries on the injured eye, and there is still no timetable for his return to MMA. His decision to vacate is what elevated Gane from interim to undisputed champion.

The more interesting development came from Gane himself. In September, on a French podcast, he described Aspinall as mentally fragile. At fight week media day, Gane took it back. "The good word was emotional, not fragile," he said, Yahoo Sports reported.

Athlon Sports noted that even as Gane walked back the word, he did not abandon his criticism of how Aspinall handled the aftermath of their fight. Gane also explained that he pushed for a rematch several times in early 2026, and only turned his attention to his own legacy once it became clear Aspinall could not return.

Credit where it is due. In a sport that rewards trash talk and punishes humility, a champion standing in front of cameras two days before the biggest fight of his life and saying he chose the wrong word is worth noticing. Young fighters, and young people in general, could learn from a man who corrects himself without being forced to.

Hokit, a 10-0 professional who has embraced a loud, pro-wrestling style persona, has been asked about Aspinall too. He told The Independent he would welcome an Aspinall fight once he is champion, but questioned whether the Englishman will actually come back.

Hokit has gone further in the past. MMA Sucka reported that in an interview with Ariel Helwani, Hokit suggested Aspinall's eye injury was being exaggerated and that Aspinall might be eyeing a payday in boxing, comments that drew criticism from former champion Michael Bisping. That suggestion is hard to square with the several eye surgeries Aspinall has undergone, as Yahoo Sports reported.

Here is the reality of the heavyweight division heading into tonight. If Gane wins, he has a clean first defense, a growing claim to being the best big man in the world and a ready-made rematch waiting whenever Aspinall's doctors clear him. If Hokit wins, the UFC has a brand-new undisputed champion, an undefeated record intact and a storyline that practically writes itself the day Aspinall announces a comeback.

What tonight cannot settle is the question that has followed this division since UFC 321: who would have won if that first fight had played out? Only a rematch answers that, and only Aspinall's recovery decides when it happens.

My take: the best thing for this sport is for Aspinall to heal fully and take his time doing it. Eyes are not hamstrings. A fighter's long-term health is worth more than any pay-per-view, and the men who climb into that cage deserve a promotion and a fan base that remember it. In the meantime, Gane and Hokit have a title fight to finish, and the Garden will be loud.

The main card airs tonight, with the heavyweight title fight closing the show at Madison Square Garden.