Get ready for UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 14, 2026. Watch Ciryl Gane face Josh Hokit for the heavyweight title, plus Kayla Harrison against Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight belt. Plan your visit and ticket purchase to catch the MMA action live from the arena
UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden: two titles and a night of major MMA showdowns
The UFC returns to Madison Square Garden in New York on November 14, 2026, with UFC 334, an event where the heavyweight and women's bantamweight titles will be on the line. Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit headline the main event, while Kayla Harrison will defend her belt against Amanda Nunes in the co-main event. These are two distinct sporting storylines: in the heavyweight division, a technically refined champion faces a challenger who has rapidly climbed the rankings, while in the bantamweight division, the reigning champion meets a returning fighter who helped shape the history of women's MMA.
The first fights are scheduled to begin at 17:00 local New York time, with the main card starting at 21:00. Doors are scheduled to open at 16:00.
It is worth securing tickets well in advance, especially if attending the UFC is part of a trip to New York and choosing the right seating section for watching the Octagon is important.
Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit: distance control or wrestling pressure?
Ciryl Gane arrives in New York as the heavyweight champion. The French fighter has developed a distinctive style built around movement, footwork, and carefully selected strikes, qualities not always seen together among heavyweights. In June 2026, at UFC Freedom 250, he defeated Alex Pereira by technical knockout in the second round to capture the interim title. After Tom Aspinall vacated the championship, Gane was promoted to undisputed titleholder. His defense at Madison Square Garden is therefore the first test of his new position.
Josh Hokit has followed a different path. The American heavyweight enters UFC 334 with a professional record of 10-0, having defeated Curtis Blaydes by unanimous decision in April 2026. Two months later, he stopped Derrick Lewis in the second round. Hokit reached his position as a title challenger undefeated, relying on his wrestling background, aggressive entries into exchanges, and ability to maintain a powerful pace. The speed of his rise adds further significance to the fight: against Gane, he must demonstrate that his success against established heavyweights can translate into a championship bout.
Spectators can expect an almost chess-like clash of fighting styles. Gane aims to maintain space, change angles, and attack with kicks and straight punches before his opponent can close the distance. Hokit will look for opportunities to engage at close range, throw combinations, initiate clinches, and potentially secure takedowns. It will be particularly interesting to see whether the challenger can cut off Gane's movement along the fence without absorbing clean strikes on his way in.
Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes: the title versus a legacy
The women's bantamweight title fight carries a different kind of tension. Kayla Harrison is a two-time Olympic judo champion who captured the UFC belt in June 2025, when she forced Julianna Peña to submit with a kimura in the second round. Her strength lies not only in the initial takedown. Once she establishes a body lock in the clinch, Harrison seeks to gain a dominant position, combine control with positional transitions, and create an opportunity to finish with a joint lock or choke.
Amanda Nunes returns after retiring from competition in 2023. The Brazilian was a champion in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, defeated Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Miesha Tate, and ended her final appearance before retirement with a victory over Irene Aldana at UFC 289. She was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025. Her meeting with Harrison was originally scheduled for earlier in 2026 but was postponed and is now part of the New York event.
Nunes is known for her powerful boxing, ability to identify openings for counterattacks, and strong takedown defense. She also has enough experience on the ground to make this contest far more complex than a simple striker-versus-judoka matchup. That is precisely where the tactical intrigue lies: will Harrison secure the clinch often enough to establish control against the fence, or will Nunes keep the fight at a distance where she can develop her punching combinations?
Which other fights deserve attention at UFC 334?
In the middleweight division, Caio Borralho faces Yousri Belgaroui. Borralho defeated Reinier de Ridder in March 2026 after losing to Nassourdine Imavov the previous year. His advantage lies in combining controlled striking, level changes, and ground fighting. Belgaroui brings experience from elite kickboxing, including appearances in GLORY, along with a series of MMA victories. Following his success against Djorden Santos in September 2026, he enters this matchup with additional momentum. The question is whether Belgaroui can maintain the distance at which his strikes are most effective or whether Borralho will impose a more complex contest in the clinch and on the ground.
In the welterweight division, Uroš Medić meets Kevin Holland. Born in Novi Sad, Medić recorded notable stoppage victories over Geoff Neal and Daniel Rodriguez in 2026, confirming his danger in stand-up exchanges. Holland brings experience from numerous UFC appearances, long-range strikes, and submission threats even when a fight becomes chaotic. Medić's ability to find his target quickly will be tested against Holland's versatility and instinct for unexpected situations.
The preliminary fights also include Stephen Thompson against Charles Radtke. Thompson, known as "Wonderboy", has announced that this will be his farewell appearance. His style, based on karate, lateral movement, and precise striking, contrasts sharply with Radtke's approach, which involves more direct pressure and the possibility of ground fighting. Madison Square Garden also holds a special place in Thompson's career: it was there, at UFC 205 in 2016, that he fought Tyron Woodley for the title in a bout that ended in a draw.
Drew Dober against Chris Duncan and Jim Miller against Terrance McKinney have also been announced for the lightweight division. Dober and Duncan offer a matchup between fighters who favor active exchanges, while the meeting between Miller, an experienced UFC veteran, and McKinney presents a contrast between patience and explosive opening attacks. The announced fight card and bout order may change right up until the event.
Madison Square Garden and the UFC's place in New York history
Madison Square Garden is located in Manhattan, above the Penn Station transportation hub. The arena hosts New York Knicks and New York Rangers games, concerts, boxing matches, and MMA events. The UFC made its first appearance there in November 2016 at UFC 205, after professional MMA was once again legalized in New York State. That night, Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight belt while already holding the featherweight title. The event attracted 20,427 spectators; capacity varies depending on the arrangement of the stage and seating.
The experience of watching from inside the arena differs from a television broadcast. Spectators follow the fighters' walkouts, the reactions of their corners between rounds, shifts in pace, and moments when an entire section of the crowd erupts after a successful takedown or submission attempt. Sitting closer to the Octagon provides a direct view of the action, while higher seating sections can offer a clearer overall perspective on the movement and positioning of both fighters.
How to get the most out of a UFC evening from the stands?
Inside the arena, the intensity builds from the early fights to the champions' entrances. Between bouts, there are announcements, fighter walkouts, and preparations of the Octagon; between rounds, spectators can observe how the corners adapt to what has just happened. In the Gane-Hokit fight, it will be interesting to watch who controls the center of the cage, while in Harrison-Nunes, attention should focus on how quickly positions change after each clinch. Such details, observed from the stands, often reveal more about the course of a fight than the sheer volume of the crowd's reaction.
UFC 334 also offers a rare combination: a heavyweight title fight, a meeting between two major figures in women's MMA, an appearance by a rising fighter such as Uroš Medić, and Stephen Thompson's farewell. For those who want to experience the full range of these stories, it makes sense to remain in the arena from the preliminary bouts through the final fights. When planning the trip and selecting seats, it is worth arranging tickets early and checking the latest version of the fight card shortly before the event.
Fight schedule, arena entry, and event duration
For Saturday, November 14, doors are scheduled to open at 16:00, early preliminary fights to begin at 17:00, the preliminary card at 19:00, and the main card at 21:00, all in New York local time. A ticket is valid for that day. Title fights take place toward the end of the program, but their exact starting times depend on the duration of earlier bouts, fighter introductions, and other production elements. It is therefore unreasonable to count on a guaranteed finishing time for the evening.
Anyone wishing to see every fight should plan to arrive before the first bout rather than waiting until the main card begins. The interval between the doors opening and the start of the fights allows time for security screening, locating seats, and exploring the food and beverage options. It is worth securing tickets and organizing an early arrival so that queues at the entrances do not shorten the experience of the event.
Essential practical information for visitors
- Address: Madison Square Garden, 4 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001.
- Entrances: open at 16:00; check the recommended entrance according to the information on your ticket and the location of your seat.
- Tickets: have your digital ticket ready on your phone before reaching the security checkpoint.
- Bags: must fit beneath the seat; bags larger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches are not permitted.
- Accessibility: the arena offers options for visitors who require accessible seating or additional assistance.
Rules concerning permitted items and entrance arrangements may change, so they should be checked before departure. It is particularly useful to avoid carrying large luggage if arriving in New York directly from a train station or airport. Food and drinks are available inside the arena, but sufficient time should be allowed for exploring the facilities and waiting in queues before the fights you wish to watch.
How to get to Madison Square Garden and where to park?
For most visitors, public transportation is the easiest option. Madison Square Garden is located directly above Penn Station, which is served by Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit trains. The arena can be reached by subway using lines 1, 2, and 3, as well as A, C, and E, via the 34 St-Penn Station stops. The 34 St-Herald Sq station is also within walking distance, while PATH trains from New Jersey provide access to the 33rd Street area.
For those arriving by car, commercial parking garages are available on surrounding streets in Midtown Manhattan, but traffic and possible delays after the event should be anticipated. Arranging parking in advance is more practical than searching for a space immediately before the doors open. Visitors arriving by car or ride-hailing services should bear in mind that the streets around Penn Station are busy even when no event is taking place.
Sources:
- UFC.com - UFC 334 announcement, two title fights, fighter profiles, and results of previous appearances: https://www.ufc.com/news/gane-hokit-harrison-nunes-headline-ufc-334-new-york-city; https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-334
- UFC.com - UFC Freedom 250 results, profiles of Ciryl Gane, Josh Hokit, Kayla Harrison, Amanda Nunes, Caio Borralho, Yousri Belgaroui, and Uroš Medić: https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-freedom-250-official-scorecards-judges; https://www.ufc.com/athlete/ciryl-gane; https://www.ufc.com/athlete/josh-hokit; https://www.ufc.com/athlete/amanda-nunes; https://www.ufc.com/athlete/uros-medic
- MMA Fighting - published UFC 334 main card and preliminary fight lineup: https://www.mmafighting.com/ufc/511552/ufc-334-full-fight-card-announced
- Madison Square Garden - venue, start time, door opening, address, entrance rules, and bag policy: https://www.msg.com/events-tickets/ultimate-fighting-championship-ufc-madison-square-garden-november-2026/3B00652EC2504689
- UFC.com - history of the UFC at Madison Square Garden and UFC 205 attendance: https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-continues-record-run-madison-square-garden; https://www.ufc.com/news/very-best-ufc-nyc-205-217-268-295-322
- New York Rangers - subway lines, rail connections, and routes to the arena: https://www.nhl.com/rangers/arena/transportation