UFC 334: Gane retains title as Harrison submits Nunes
Ciryl Gane defended his heavyweight belt in New York, while Kayla Harrison submitted Amanda Nunes to keep the women’s bantamweight title.
Ciryl Gane retained the UFC heavyweight title against Josh Hokit, and Kayla Harrison kept the women’s bantamweight belt by submitting Amanda Nunes at UFC 334 in New York on November 14. According to ESPN.com, Gane’s latest defense renewed questions about how fans receive him, while Nunes’s decision to grapple played into Harrison’s strengths.
- Harrison submitted Nunes with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, Reuters reported.
- Gane beat Hokit by unanimous decision after five rounds; ESPN reported he was booed after the win.
- ESPN writer Brett Okamoto argued that Gane should get an opportunity to fight in his home country, France.
Gane’s title defense and the reaction in New York
At Madison Square Garden, Gane won all three judges’ scorecards 48-47 in a bruising five-round fight, Reuters reported. It was his first defense of the heavyweight title. ESPN also reported the unanimous decision and said Gane landed the most strikes in a single heavyweight bout in UFC history. Despite that performance, ESPN said he was booed. The outlet noted that some fans might think Hokit deserved the decision, while UFC CEO Dana White said at the postfight news conference that Gane receives appropriate respect for his accomplishments.
ESPN writer Brett Okamoto argued that the UFC should look for an opportunity to stage a Gane fight in France, where he might receive a different reception. Okamoto’s case comes against a history of criticism the article recounts: Gane lost to Jon Jones in 2023, and ESPN says questionable decision-making may have cost him a win against Francis Ngannou in 2022. The outlet also cites the 2025 title fight in which Gane poked Tom Aspinall in the eye. More recently, Gane stopped Alex Pereira in June, though Pereira accused him of landing blows to the back of the head, ESPN reported.
How Harrison turned Nunes’s grappling against her
Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo champion, used trips, throws and ground control before taking Nunes’s back and finishing with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round, Reuters reported. The victory was Harrison’s first defense of the UFC bantamweight title. She had a 20-1 record at the time of the report; Nunes stood at 23-6.
ESPN writer Jeff Wagenheim’s tactical assessment was that Nunes had a striking advantage but chose to engage in grappling, where Harrison was strongest. Nunes initially looked sharp striking and avoided some takedowns, Reuters reported, but later spent much of the latter part of the opening two rounds on the bottom in a scarf-hold position. ESPN noted that Nunes had been away from the sport for three and a half years. Reuters dates her departure to June 2023; she was 38 when she returned to face Harrison.
Harrison said after the fight that she was unsure what came next for her, Reuters reported. Nunes did not make herself available for a postfight interview, the outlet said.
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What this story rests on
2 sources from 2 organisations: 1 news agency, 1 broadcaster.
- 1Gane deserves a home fight; Nunes fought right into Harrison's handsESPN.com · espn.comBroadcaster
- 2Kayla Harrison defeats Amanda Nunes to retain UFC bantamweight beltReuters, published by Al Jazeera · aljazeera.comNews agency
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
Researched and drafted with AI tools from these sources, then checked against them paragraph by paragraph before publication. How we work · Everyone we cite · Report an error