About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stipe Miocic believes Ciryl Gane is the safe bet at UFC 334 .
Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defends his UFC heavyweight title against Josh Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event ( Paramount+ ) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Gane has fought the who's who from Jon Jones to Francis Ngannou and Alex Pereira, which is why former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Miocic sees the Frenchman being too much for Hokit.
"It's Gane," Miocic said in an interview with Casino.org . "He's seasoned, he's been there, and he's very smart at what he does. Hokit is a great wrestler, and he hits hard, but Gane likes keeping his distance and not making many mistakes, and I think if he keeps that distance and stays away, then it's going to be a good night for him. I'll go with Gane, though. He's more experienced, and he's fought some tough guys in the past."
Several UFC veterans such as Chris Weidman and Jorge Masvidal see Hokit's wrestling and pressure potentially breaking Gane , but Miocic says that won't necessarily be the answer.
"I know Hokit's a wrestler, but wrestling isn't always the best approach," Miocic said. "When you're wrestling, you're getting punched, kicked and kneed, so you're vulnerable to getting hurt. He hasn't really gone the distance in the past either. Like five rounds, that's a big difference. I don't care how great a shape you're in, you're definitely going to feel it when you're not used to it. I think that could hurt him, too. But I think if Gane just keeps his distance, he can pick Hokit apart."
Gane was promoted to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated his belt due to a lingering eye injury , which he suffered in a no contest against Gane at UFC 321 .
"I believe he deserves to be champion," Miocic said of Gane. "He was next up. He fought Tom and then was supposed to fight him again, but then Tom's injury happened. But I absolutely think so. He was in line, and he was ranked highest. I believe he 100 percent deserves it.
"In regard to the eye poke, why would he do that in the fight? I think he was just doing what he was supposed to do, and I think it was an accidental poke. Gane was in the driver's seat and didn't need to do anything reckless. He's been performing at the top, and he's 100 percent next up to be the man. I believe he deserves it, and he's a tough dude."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-heavyweight champ: 'More experienced' Ciryl Gane beats Josh Hokit at UFC 334
Source: Sports
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