Stipe Miocic has made his prediction for Ciryl Gane vs Josh Hokit, as the pair prepare to vie over the heavyweight legend’s old title.

Miocic first held the UFC heavyweight belt from 2016 to 2018, winning a record-breaking three title defences, before reigning again from 2019 until 2021. After his second reign was ended by Francis Ngannou, the American fought just once more, losing to then-champion Jon Jones via TKO in 2024. Miocic retired in the cage after the fight.

That bout was just one chapter in a chaotic spell for the UFC’s heavyweight division; Jones vacated the title in summer 2025 after turning down $30m to face interim champion Tom Aspinall, who was subsequently elevated to undisputed champion. However, Aspinall’s first defence of the regular belt ended as a first-round no-contest, when he was poked in the eyes numerous times by Gane.

Britain’s Aspinall vacated the title this September, 11 months after facing Gane, due to ongoing complications from the eye injury he sustained against the Frenchman. Gane was thus elevated to undisputed champion, having won the interim belt by stopping Alex Pereira at the White House in June.

Gane’s first defence of the undisputed title will come against Hokit on 14 November, when he fights the controversial American in the main event of UFC 334 – at Madison Square Garden, where Miocic retired.

Speaking to The Independent via Casino.org, Miocic predicted: “It’s Gane [who will win]. 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 he doesn’t make many mistakes. I think if he keeps that distance and stays away, then it’s gonna be a good night for him.

“If Hokit gets in close and gets a takedown, he could be dangerous, but I know how good Gane’s defence has been when wrestling. So, I’ll go with Gane, just because he’s more experienced and he’s fought some tough guys in the past.

“Hokit is definitely tough and he’s getting better every fight, but he’s still relatively new. He’s not had as many fights as some of the other guys. However, you can definitely see that he’s coming along well.

“He’s a wrestler, so he’s always got that in his back pocket if something goes bad, but he hits hard and he comes forward. He just needs to remember to keep his hands up and not get cracked, but I mean, that’s the heavyweight division.

“But he’s getting it. We’ve all been there, we all start somewhere. We’re not always great when we first get started, but I know he’ll progress and get better.”

Miocic, 44, also commented on a potential rematch between Aspinall and Gane, which is among the most-anticipated fights in the UFC.

“I think it’s a tough fight, no one really can predict what will happen,” Miocic said. “In their last fight, I felt like Gane catered to Tom’s fighting style a little bit.

“Tom is a fighter who has gameplans, so I think if they do fight again, I think he’ll have a totally different gameplan. [But] sometimes when you get punched in the face, you can lose that plan, and you just start going to town on your opponent.

“So, I think between those two, that’s a tough fight to call; I think they’re about even. If Gane picks his shots and stays to that type of plan, then I think he’d be good and could come away with the win. However, if Tom was to just constantly pressure him, I think that would be his best chance of winning, because I don’t think Gane likes to be pressured.”

Miocic added: “I think Hokit is tough, but I don’t think he’s there yet to beat Aspinall. But I think he could challenge him in the future.”