Cain Velasquez compares Hokit to McGregor, predicts UFC 334
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez says Josh Hokit has earned his UFC 334 title shot against Ciryl Gane and predicts an upset at Madison Square Garden. Velasquez likened Hokit’s trash talk to Conor McGregor’s path and called the undefeated challenger more complete than the French champion. The heavyweight main event headlines Polymarket UFC 334 on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in New York City.
Key Takeaways
- Cain Velasquez told MMA Fighting that Josh Hokit deserves his title shot and will “surprise people” against Ciryl Gane at UFC 334.
- Velasquez compared Hokit’s tension-building talk to Conor McGregor’s promotional style while praising Hokit’s wrestling and hands.
- UFC 334 is set for Madison Square Garden, with Gane defending the undisputed heavyweight title after Tom Aspinall vacated.
- Gane has rejected “cheater” labels tied to his recent eye-poke no-contest and Alex Pereira finish, saying he knows who he is.
- The card also features Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight title and streams on Paramount+.
Why does Cain Velasquez compare Josh Hokit to Conor McGregor?
Velasquez, a former multi-time UFC heavyweight champion, was asked about Hokit’s fast climb before the biggest fight of the challenger’s career. He credited Hokit’s results first, then the noise around him.
“So Hokit, as far as his fighting ability, he’s definitely proven himself, that he’s well-renowned mixed martial artist,” Velasquez told MMA Fighting. “He deserves what he’s getting as far as a title shot, you know? He’s fought those guys to get there.”
Then came the McGregor parallel. “And he’s also taking the route, somewhat of a Conor McGregor, to speak in a way that creates tension,” Velasquez said. That framing fits the week: Hokit’s comments about opponents, family members, and even Michelle Obama have drawn backlash, including from UFC CEO Dana White.
On paper, the challenger’s résumé is still short but loud. Per UFC’s official preview, Hokit is fighting for gold just 16 months after earning a roster spot and 53 weeks after his promotional debut. He is a former Division I wrestler and football player who spent time on NFL practice squads before MMA. He is 10-0 overall after beating Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in his last two outings.
Who does Velasquez pick to win the UFC 334 main event?
Velasquez does not expect Gane’s undisputed reign to last long. “No, I think Josh is gonna surprise people on [Saturday],” he said. “He’s complete, you know? I think way, way more complete than Gane is.”
He pointed to Hokit’s mix of wrestling and striking under big-fight pressure. “So I think Hokit, yeah, is going to surprise a lot of people with the great wrestling, great hands, as you’ve seen,” Velasquez added. “When the time comes to fight in a big stage, that’s the hardest part where everybody’s watching… He’s proven that. I see him winning this fight.”
That pick lands against a champion UFC still describes as bigger, faster, more skilled, and more experienced on paper. Gane is 11-2 with one no-contest in the Octagon, a longtime top heavyweight who twice held interim gold and twice challenged for the undisputed belt. He finished Alex Pereira for interim honors at UFC Freedom 250 and was elevated after Aspinall’s eye injuries kept the former champ sidelined until he vacated.
Hokit’s Octagon sample is smaller but recent: a 3-0 2026 run highlighted by a Fight of the Year contender against Blaydes at UFC 327 in April and a White House stoppage of Lewis. For fans who track fight-week markets the way others track side hustles, BlasterPost’s Wealth Hacks & Passive Income hub covers the same odds-and-attention mindset that Polymarket-branded cards lean into.
How is Ciryl Gane answering ‘cheater’ talk before UFC 334?
Gane enters his first undisputed defense under a “dirty fighter” cloud. At UFC 321 in October 2025, his title fight with Tom Aspinall was ruled a no-contest after a severe eye poke. Aspinall later had multiple eye surgeries and has not fought since. At UFC Freedom 250, Pereira accused Gane of illegal shots to the back of the head during the finishing sequence—criticism that dulled some of the win’s shine.
Gane told RMC he is unmoved. “There’s not much you can say to attack me,” he said. “I’m confident in who I am when I look in a mirror… Also, they will want to say that I am a cheater, etc. Good, it’s all the same when I look at myself in the mirror. I know I’m not a cheater.”
In a Paramount interview, he framed the debate as noise versus rules. “People like to say some stupid things about me, but it’s just about statistics, or just about the rules, the facts,” Gane said. “When you ask the referees—the biggest referees in UFC—they’re going to tell you, ‘No, there is nothing special with Ciryl.’” He also noted that “a lot of real good fighters” reject the cheater label. Former champions Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw have defended him, calling the fouls accidental rather than intentional.
Hokit has kept the heat on, posting blindfolded training footage as a jab at possible eye-poke drama. A clean, controversy-free defense would do more for Gane’s image than any interview—but Velasquez is betting the challenger’s completeness shows first.
What else is on the UFC 334 fight card this weekend?
UFC’s annual Madison Square Garden stop pairs the heavyweight title fight with a delayed women’s bantamweight title grudge match: Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes. Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won the belt by dominating Julianna Peña with a second-round kimura at UFC 316. Nunes, long billed as the greatest female fighter ever, is returning after retiring in June 2023. Their original UFC 324 booking was delayed after Harrison’s neck surgery.
Other main-card bouts include Caio Borralho vs. Yousri Belgaroui, Uroš Medić vs. Kevin Holland, and Bilal Hasan vs. Luis Gurule. Prelims feature Stephen Thompson’s career finale against Charles Radtke, plus Drew Dober vs. Chris Duncan, Jim Miller vs. Terrance McKinney, and more.
Polymarket UFC 334 runs Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from Madison Square Garden. Early prelims start at 5 p.m. ET, prelims at 7 p.m. ET, and the main card at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Whether you watch for the McGregor-style buildup or Velasquez’s upset lean, the title fight is the story that decides if Hokit’s rise was noise—or the real thing.