Ciryl Gane brushes off foul criticism as he enters first UFC title defense with question to answer

Résumé détaillé

Ciryl Gane defends his UFC heavyweight title against unbeaten Josh Hokit while dismissing foul criticism and testing his takedown defense. Read more.

Well, unless the fighter in question is Ciryl Gane. The UFC heavyweight champion wouldn’t change a thing about the way fights are officiated.

“I got nothing to say to the referee,” Gane told The Post at Wednesday’s media day in advance of UFC 334 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The vote of confidence is relevant from Gane (14-2, 10 finishes), the Frenchman who has faced scrutiny over the frequency of perceived, unpunished fouls in his fights. The closest he’s come to any repercussions for infractions such as low blows, strikes to the back of the head or eye pokes was the double-fingered gouge that ended his 2025 title fight against then-champ Tom Aspinall, resulting in a no-contest. Aspinall is still recovering from the eye damage, which led to him vacating his crown in September.

Gane, elevated from interim champ status to undisputed to fill Aspinall’s void, preferred to focus on the lack of punitive actions when asked if the criticism is warranted.

“I’m really happy to hear that. I’m really happy because that’s the truth,” said Gane, who will defend his crown for the first time against unbeaten Josh Hokit in the main event. “That’s the fact. Actually, the people like to say some stuff, but the reality is completely the opposite.”

Whether questionable tactics are necessary this weekend is secondary to a bigger question: Can Gane avoid the ground?

Gane is an athletic, 6-foot-4 former Muay Thai competitor who just knocked out a former two-weight champion in both kickboxing and UFC, Alex Pereira, in their White House fight in June. Shortly before that victory on the South Lawn, Hokit (10-0, nine finishes) had his way with aging KO artist Derrick Lewis, bullying the former title challenger thanks in large part to the skills he honed as a standout high school wrestler.

When the pro football pursuits of Hokit, who turns 29 on Thursday, peaked with a handful of stints on NFL practice squads, he transitioned to MMA. Three years later, he won his UFC debut.

It’s a path Gane…

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