Ciryl Gane and Kayla Harrison emerged as the biggest winners at UFC 334, successfully defending their championship titles against Josh Hokit and Amanda Nunes respectively in a memorable night at Madison Square Garden, New York.
The November 14 event featured 13 fights, with Gane retaining the heavyweight championship by unanimous decision and Harrison submitting former two-division champion Nunes in the fourth round.
Gane survived a demanding five-round encounter against undefeated American challenger Hokit, with all three judges scoring the contest 48-47 in favour of the Frenchman.
The victory marked Gane’s first defence of the heavyweight title and strengthened his position among the division’s leading fighters.
Harrison also delivered a significant performance, forcing Nunes to submit through a rear-naked choke at 1:29 of the fourth round.
The Brazilian returned to the Octagon after more than three years away, hoping to reclaim the bantamweight championship. However, Harrison’s superior grappling and ground control ultimately proved decisive.
Elsewhere, veteran Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson produced one of the night’s standout moments, defeating Charles Radtke by second-round technical knockout with a spectacular spinning wheel kick.
The victory provided an emphatic farewell for Thompson, who had indicated that the contest would be his retirement fight.
Brazilian fighters also enjoyed a productive night. Caio Borralho defeated Yousri Belgaroui by unanimous decision, while Bia Mesquita submitted Macy Chiasson in the opening round.
Cesar Almeida stopped Donte Johnson by technical knockout, and Melquizael Costa secured a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon.
Terrance McKinney also delivered an explosive performance, knocking out veteran Jim Miller in the first round.
UFC 334: Complete Results
Main Card
- Ciryl Gane defeated Josh Hokit – Unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).
- Kayla Harrison defeated Amanda Nunes – Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 4, 1:29.
- Caio Borralho defeated Yousri Belgaroui – Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Kevin Holland vs Uros Medic – Majority draw (28-28, 29-27, 28-28).
- Luis Gurule defeated Bilal Hasan – Split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Preliminary Card
- Stephen Thompson defeated Charles Radtke – TKO (spinning wheel kick), Round 2, 2:54.
- Chris Duncan defeated Drew Dober – Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
- Terrance McKinney defeated Jim Miller – KO (punches), Round 1, 1:53.
- Cesar Almeida defeated Donte Johnson – TKO (punches), Round 1, 3:20.
Early Preliminary Card
- Melquizael Costa defeated Jared Gordon – Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Bia Mesquita defeated Macy Chiasson – Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:23.
- Juan Diaz defeated Heili Alateng – Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Evan Elder defeated Samuel Sanches – Unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).
UFC 334 ended with Gane and Harrison maintaining their championship status, while Thompson’s spectacular farewell and the impressive performances of several Brazilian fighters added to the night’s major talking points.
