Amanda Nunes' Comeback and a Heavyweight Title Fight Headline UFC 334 as Fight Week Hits Madison Square Garden

The UFC is back at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and fight week got rolling Wednesday as the stars of UFC 334 met reporters at the arena ^[2].

The card has two championship fights at the top. Ciryl Gane makes the first defense of his heavyweight title against Josh Hokit in the main event, and Kayla Harrison puts her bantamweight belt on the line against a returning Amanda Nunes in the co-main event ^[2][1]. The early prelims begin at 5 p.m. Eastern, the prelims at 7 p.m. and the main card at 9 p.m., with every block streaming on Paramount+ and the early prelims also available on UFC Fight Pass, according to the UFC's event page ^[1]. The promotion also lists a ceremonial weigh-in at the Garden's Infosys Theater that is open to the public ^[1].

Nunes Returns for One Champion

The co-main is the fight many fans have circled since it was first announced. Nunes, who won UFC titles in two weight classes, retired from the UFC in 2023 and kept a low profile afterward, Cageside Press reported ^[3]. Her comeback, the outlet wrote, depended on Harrison being the champion she would face ^[3]. Nunes summed up her thinking on a podcast: "You can only have one champion." ^[3]

Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, came to the UFC from the PFL in 2024 and won the bantamweight title in June 2025 by defeating Julianna Peña ^[3]. She and Nunes were first booked to meet at UFC 324 on Jan. 24, but Harrison suffered a serious neck injury that required surgery a week before the bout, and the fight was rebooked for the Garden ^[3].

The stakes go beyond the belt. According to Cageside, Harrison has said she is very close to the end of her career, while Nunes has said she would defend the title at least once after Saturday before deciding what comes next ^[3]. Two of the most decorated women in combat sports, one on the way back and one on the way out, sharing the cage on the sport's most famous stage: that is a fight worth staying up for.

The Heavyweights and the Rest of the Main Card

Hokit, listed as the No. 4 contender on the UFC's card, gets his first crack at the heavyweight title ^[1]. In a pre-fight interview posted by the promotion, Gane said his focus is on being fully present in the cage ^[1].

At middleweight, No. 5 Caio Borralho faces Yousri Belgaroui ^[1]. Borralho split his 2025 fights against Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov, then beat former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder in March, Cageside Press reported ^[5]. A planned August fight with Joe Pyfer fell apart because of an injury ^[5]. Belgaroui, unranked, earned his UFC contract through the Contender Series, has three finishes in the promotion and most recently stepped in on short notice for Kelvin Gastelum against Djorden Santos and won ^[5].

The welterweight bout pits No. 12 Uroš Medić against No. 15 Kevin Holland ^[1]. Holland, 34, with a 20-15 record and one no contest, told Cageside Press he has signed a new UFC contract that covers a good number of fights ^[4]. Asked whether it would be his last deal, he answered, "I would love for it to be." ^[4] Holland said he accepted the Medić fight after an earlier matchup with Jacobe Smith fell through ^[4]. Medić, for his part, told the UFC he is working his way toward a title shot ^[1].

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Flyweights Bilal Hasan and Luis Gurule round out the main card ^[1].

The prelims feature veteran Stephen Thompson against Charles Radtke, Drew Dober against Chris Duncan, Jim Miller against Terrance McKinney and Donte Johnson against Cesar Almeida ^[1]. The early prelims include Jared Gordon against Melquizael Costa and a ranked women's bantamweight matchup between No. 9 Macy Chiasson and No. 11 Bia Mesquita ^[1].

My Take

There is a lot to like about this card, and most of it comes down to grit. Harrison had neck surgery and came back to defend her belt anyway ^[3]. Nunes stepped away at the top and is now putting her legacy on the line to settle, in her words, who the one champion is ^[3]. Holland, a fan favorite for years, is talking plainly about the back half of his career and what he wants it to look like ^[4]. That kind of honesty and toughness is what makes fight sports worth watching.

The ceremonial weigh-in comes before Saturday's card, and the main card starts at 9 p.m. Eastern ^[1]. Liberty Bell Report will have the results from the Garden.