Ciryl Gane defended the UFC heavyweight championship for the first time Saturday, defeating Josh Hokit via unanimous decision in the wild UFC 334 main event at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the co-headliner, Kayla Harrison submitted Amanda Nunes in the fourth round of their long-awaited superfight to retain the women's bantamweight title.
Here are five takeaways from the event.
Gane shows he has guts vs. Hokit
Three years ago, the MMA community ridiculed Gane for his quick loss to Jon Jones. At best, Gane offered little resistance as Jones submitted him two minutes into the first round; at worst, he simply gave up. At least that's what people were saying back then.
Three years later, Gane proved he's a lot gutsier than we thought with this win over Hokit.
It wasn't a perfect performance, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but in many ways, it was one of Gane's best. He showed immense heart by surviving Hokit's early onslaught, refusing to let the nonstop pressure break him, while maintaining his cardiovascular endurance. In the first few rounds, there were moments when it looked like Hokit could run away with the win. However, Gane came on strong in the championship rounds to cement himself as exactly that: a champion.
Fans ought to put some respect on Gane's name after he bit down on his mouthguard, traded punches with Hokit in one of the most chaotic heavyweight fights ever, and still got his hand raised.
Hokit is a mad man, and the heavyweight division is better off because of it
I've watched a lot of MMA, and I'm not sure I've seen a fight quite like Gane-Hokit.
Gane won, but make no mistake: Hokit turned it into his style of fight. He made it dirty, he made it ugly, and he came oh so close to becoming heavyweight champ.
UFC CEO Dana White was right when he said Hokit's stock went up Saturday, even though he suffered the first loss of his career. He went toe-to-toe with the best active heavyweight in the UFC and came up just short on the scorecards - there's no shame in that. Hokit left no doubt against Gane that he's one of the best in the division, and at 29 years old, he's just getting started.
Whether you love or hate Hokit, he's good for the heavyweight division. It's needed a spark for a long time, and Hokit brings that. The division is better off with him in the mix and causing chaos everywhere he goes.
What was up with Nunes' game plan?
Harrison deserves a lot of credit for beating Nunes, but I can't help feeling like Nunes handed her the win on a silver platter.
Going into the fight, we knew Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, had the advantage on the ground, while Nunes had the edge on the feet. We knew exactly what both fighters needed to do to win. Instead, Nunes played right into Harrison's game.
Nunes was the better striker, outlanding Harrison 21-9. But several times throughout the fight, she tried to engage Harrison in the clinch and look for takedowns. Although Nunes took Harrison down twice, she ended up on the bottom both times.
It was a mind-boggling game plan and, frankly, one of the worst displays of fight IQ we've seen in a long time. It was what you'd expect from a young up-and-comer, not the consensus greatest women's fighter of all time.
In the end, Nunes' decision-making might've cost her the fight.
Shevchenko is the last big fight left for Harrison
Harrison was noncommittal about her future after beating Nunes, but there's one more big fight left before she retires: a superfight with former two-time women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
While it wouldn't be quite as big as the Nunes bout, Harrison-Shevchenko is bigger than anything left for either of them in their respective divisions. It's also one of the only big fights left in this era of women's MMA.
Shevchenko is one of the greatest fighters in women's MMA history alongside Harrison and Nunes. She was a bantamweight contender before winning the flyweight title, and a second belt is the one thing that has eluded her legendary career.
Shevchenko recently vacated the flyweight title due to lingering injuries, so it's the perfect time to move back up to bantamweight to fight Harrison.
'Wonderboy' has perfect retirement
Few MMA retirement fights go well, and even fewer end perfectly. However, the final fight of Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson's career was one we won't soon forget.
Thompson, a former two-time welterweight title challenger, ended his Hall of Fame-worthy career in storybook fashion, finishing Charles Radtke with a spinning wheel kick in the third round.
In a wild full-circle moment, it was the same way Thompson began his Octagon tenure - a head-kick knockout - all the way back at UFC 143 in February 2012.
From the knockout itself, to the tribute video the UFC aired on the broadcast afterward, to Joe Rogan tearing up during Thompson's postfight interview, it all made for a magical send-off for one of the best welterweights of his generation - and one of the nicest guys in MMA.
