Matt Brown Calls Gane vs. Hokit a Fight for Second Place

The UFC 334 main event carries an undisputed belt, but not everyone believes it carries the heavyweight crown. Retired fighter Matt Brown says Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit are fighting for second place.

Who Brown says the champion is

Brown names three fighters as the real uncrowned champion: Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall. The problem, he says, is that the public is not getting to see them fight.

Of the three, he gave Aspinall the clearest vote. Brown thinks that if Aspinall returned, he would stand a stronger chance against Hokit than against Gane, and he says that is also what people would feel. "Tom Aspinall's the uncrowned champ," he said.

A division with too many claimants

Brown spoke on MMA Fighting's "The Fighter vs. The Writer." He called the undisputed label heavily disputed. He said Gane against Hokit will still be a great fight, but he sees the situation as a downside and a business reality.

"These guys are fighting for second place unfortunately," Brown said.

He described a heavyweight picture with Alex Pereira and Alexander Volkov in the mix, while fans keep saying that Francis, Tom and Jon would beat all of them.

How the belt got to Gane

Hokit earned this shot by beating Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. Saturday is Gane's first defense.

Gane won the interim title against Pereira in June. He then became the undisputed champion, since Aspinall could not return while his eye problems continued.

Source: BJPenn.com