'Absolutely Insane': Dana White Blasts the Holland-Medic Draw and Says He Was Wrong About Josh Hokit

The fights at Madison Square Garden are over, but the arguments about UFC 334 are just getting started. Dana White's late-night press conference turned into a review of two very different results: a heavyweight title fight that the boss thought was scored right, and a middleweight bout he called a mess.

A Draw Nobody Saw Coming

Kevin Holland and Uros Medic ended in a majority draw. Judge David Bruce scored the fight 29-27 for Medic, while Mike Bell and Chris Lee each had it 28-28, according to the official cards reported by Yahoo Sports and Cageside Press ^[1][2].

The fight turned in the second round. Referee Marc Goddard took a point from Medic after repeated low blows, Cageside Press reported, and Holland used the full five minutes allowed to recover before the action resumed ^[2]. Accounts differ on whether the first low blow was accidental, which is part of why the scoring left so many people scratching their heads ^[1][2].

The confusion did not end with the final horn. Bruce Buffer first read out the wrong numbers inside the cage, and the UFC later said the scores had been announced incorrectly even though the draw itself was the right result, Yahoo Sports reported ^[1].

White was not shy about his view. He called the decision insane and said there was no way Holland lost the fight, MMA Mania reported ^[3]. When the person who runs the company says the judges got it wrong, it is fair to expect more questions about how these bouts are scored, and how a fighter the company's own president believed clearly won can leave without a victory.

The Main Event: Respect Earned

The heavyweight title fight was a different story. Ciryl Gane kept his belt with a unanimous decision over Josh Hokit, with all three judges scoring it 48-47, in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors ^[4][6]. It was the first loss of Hokit's professional career, in his 11th fight ^[4].

White said he scored the fight four rounds to one for Gane. But he made clear that the loser's night was a win in other ways. He said Hokit fought exactly the fight he needed to fight, and he admitted that his own opinion of the brash challenger had changed, Yahoo Sports reported ^[4]. White said he had seen Hokit as a loudmouth and did not like his act, but now considers him the real thing, and he summed it up by saying Hokit's "stock went up with me" ^[4].

That is a big turnaround. Hokit built his name on trash talk. Inside the cage, though, he pushed a champion through five hard rounds and made the boss change his mind.

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What Comes Next for Hokit and Gane

Hokit wasted no time asking for a rematch. White did not rule it out when he was asked about it, Bloody Elbow reported ^[5].

There may be another big name in Hokit's future. BVM Sports reported that White is interested in matching Hokit with Alex Pereira, who first has to get past Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 ^[6]. For Gane, the path forward runs through a heavyweight division that suddenly has more contenders, and more drama, than it did a week ago.

Elsewhere on the card, Kayla Harrison kept her bantamweight title with a fourth-round choke of Amanda Nunes, a result we covered overnight.

Jessie's Take

Two lessons came out of the Garden on Saturday night.

The first is about judging. Fighters train for months and risk their health for a few rounds. They deserve scorecards that make sense and an announcement that gets the numbers right the first time. A point deduction for repeated fouls should mean something, and the sport owes Holland and Medic a clear explanation of how this one ended level.

The second is about character, and it is a better story. A young heavyweight who talked too much backed up his words with toughness, lost with dignity, and earned the respect of the man who doubted him most. Humility after a loss is harder than confidence before a fight. If Hokit keeps the fire and drops some of the noise, Saturday may turn out to be the night his real career began.