The fight business has been and always will be the entertainment business.
Sure, the action is based on legitimate competition, but at the end of the day, professional fights are deemed to be successful based on revenue and profit. Capitalism is the biggest winner for the pro ranks. If you want pure competition, that’s what the amateur leagues are for. Ironically, but not surprisingly, the Olympics is the pinnacle of pure competition, but as we know, there are millions of dollars involved in the big picture of the Olympic games.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the MMA branch of the TKO corporation, is no different than any other capitalist organization. Dana White might be selling legitimate competition, but make no mistake about it, the UFC boss is very much in the entertainment business. He has a product to sell and moves the pieces of the puzzle in place to maximize the return on that promotional investment.
It’s not as ham-handed as when Conor McGregor was gifted a 155 LBS title shot without ever competing in the division to attempt to shoehorn him into the role of a double champion, or when Brock Lesnar was granted an opportunity at the heavyweight belt with only one victory in the organization, but the headliner for this weekend’s UFC 334 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden is another prime example of how the entertainment business dictates the competitive decisions.
Just over a year ago, Tom Aspinall suffered a serious injury as a result of an eye poke during his heavyweight title contest against Ciryl Gane, prompting the referee to stop the contest late in the first round. Aspinall retained the belt due to injury stoppage, but has since undergone multiple surgeries to treat the injury. With no timetable for his return to the cage, Aspinall vacated the UFC Heavyweight championship in mid-September. Gane, who was deemed a contender previously, but didn’t seem to be at the top tier of the division, won an interim title when he beat Alex Pereira via TKO in the second round at the White House card this past June. When Aspinall vacated his belt, Gane was promoted to the undisputed titleholder.
As mentioned, Ciryl Gane is a talented heavyweight, but as we’ve seen with other divisions in more recent years, when the tile is vacated, the new champion doesn’t have the cache or the credibility that goes along with dethroning the previous champion. Technically, Pereira, who vacated the 205 LBS championship to compete at heavyweight, wasn’t a proven contender in the heavyweight division when he fought Gane in June since it was his debut at that weight class. Gane basically defeated a former light heavyweight champion, not a heavyweight contender to claim the belt that he didn’t beat Aspinall for.
That’s not to say that Gane didn’t earn the title, but rather to point out that he has something to prove within the 265 LBS division, which is why his initial title defense is very important this Saturday.
Josh Hokit, who beat Derek Lewis via TKO in the second round at the previously mentioned White House card, has a pro record of 10-0, with four wins in the UFC. His first two wins in the company were against virtual unknowns, but his most recent two victories were against Lewis as mentioned, and Curtis Blaydes before that. In short, he has two credible victories that some might cite to consider him a contender, but I’m not sure that a pair of notable wins is necessarily enough to justify a title shot. However, much like the division when Randy Couture moved up from 205 LBS to beat Tim Slyvia for the championship almost two decades ago, the current weight class lacks depth. Of course, Jon Jones being shoehorned into the role of heavyweight champion without ever competing in the division before and then his supposed retirement because he didn’t want to fight Aspinall, as well as the eye injury that sidelined Aspinall, didn’t do anything to help the heavyweight division either.
So, without many contenders established to challenge Gane, a fighter that is 10-0 looks good on paper. But, make no mistake about it, the former NFL practice squad player is getting this title shot because he acted foolish enough to get noticed, and if it pays off then it’s difficult to argue with his strategy.
When Chael Sonnen talked his way into the UFC main events years ago, it was done with a wink and a nod. He was so over-the-top that he was more or less indirectly acknowledging (as he directly acknowledged after his retirement) that he was playfully borrowing from the pro wrestling playbook to sell the fight. He was outrageous in a silly type of way, giving him plausible deniability about the level of malicious intent that he did or didn’t have during his “Superstar” Billy Graham-inspired interviews. There’s a reason that he and Anderson Silva were on good terms after their bouts.
Hokit is trying too hard to be a Temu version of Sonnen, and he’s trying to push the envelope far enough that it works right now when he’s in the spotlight, but might be counted against him if he ends up on a losing streak,which could be when the organization tries to distance itself from him. Basically, Hokit acts bizarre, not entertaining. Viewers might notice it once, but it won’t be something that they will look at for very long. The strange press conference appearances are cringe worthy, not marketable.
During the post-fight interview at the White House card, Hokit made some disparaging remarks about former first lady, Michelle Obama. When UFC boss, Dana White was asked about it at the post-event press conference, he called the comments “gross” and “moronic.” Considering his close ties with Trump, Dana had no reason to defend the Democratic first lady unless he legitimately didn’t appreciate the remarks. Granted, at the end of the days, Hokit is going to make money for the UFC, but Dana has also seen what happens when he doesn’t put his foot down with certain fighters. Conor McGregor and Jon Jones don’t have the most stellar reputation outside of the cage.
Still, the opportunity is there, and if Hokit can claim the heavyweight belt at Madison Square Garden, there’s no doubt that his stock will propel as one of the stars of the company.
If that will happen is somewhat of a toss up. I truly don’t think there’s enough of a sample size of Hokit’s ability in the cage to judge exactly how he will fair against the more experience champion. The Frenchman has only lost against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. I don’t think we can immediately assume that Hokit is at that level of competition. However, the reason that I said the result could be a toss up is simply because in the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch so there’s a much smaller margin for error.
With his football background, Hokit’s speed might be the difference maker. On the other hand, Gane’s reach advantage might be a significant factor, specifically if the bout gets into the championship rounds. I’ll pick Gane to retain the championship, but that’s more of a guess than anything since there are many different directions the bout could go, depending on how prepared each fighter will be.
The co-main event will see the return of Amanda Nunes nearly three and a half years after she retired as the UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion to challenge Kayla Harrison for the same title. A UFC Hall of Famer, Nunes is known for her powerful, dynamic style and a well-rounded skill set that makes her dangerous anywhere that the fight takes place. She pummeled Ronda Rousey into retirement a decade ago and then went on a legendary run as the 135 LBS champion.
Kayla Harrison, who has a pro record of 15-1, is undefeated in the UFC since she debuted in the promotion in 2024. At 36, it’s possible that Harrison might be near retirement herself, but it would also make sense for her to continue to fight as long as she’s the champion to maximize her earnings. This bout was originally scheduled to take place at the beginning of this year, but was postponed when Harrison suffered a neck injury that required surgery.
We could breakdown the fight stylistically, but I think the analysis is a lot simpler than that. Is Harrison truly back to 100% after the injury, and will ring rust affect Amanda Nunes? This isn’t a knock on Harrison in any way, shape, or form, as she’s proven herself to be a tough competitor, but even after nearly three years away from the sport, I have to pick Amanda Nunes to claim the belt again, mostly because she was so dominate in her previous title reign.
The under card is rather pedestrian, but it’s garnish on the line-up since two title fights at Madison Square Garden, including the return of Nunes, are enough of a selling point for the audience. It will be interesting to see if Nunes competes again if she wins the championship.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
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