Has Ciryl Gane been promoted to Heavyweight Champion ahead of clash with Josh Hokit at UFC 334?
(Courtesy : UFC)
Dana White reverses Ciryl Gane’s UFC heavyweight title status.
Ciryl Gane has officially been elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the title because of ongoing eye issues.
The development comes just 24 hours after UFC CEO and President Dana White said Gane would not automatically become champion. White, during the UFC 331 post-fight presser, has now clarified that he had simply “misspoke.”
Gane will enter UFC 334 as the reigning, defending, undisputed heavyweight champion when he faces Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden in November. Asked what changed between Friday and Saturday, White gave a blunt answer: “Nothing. I f*ck*d up.”
The clarification means Ciryl Gane’s interim championship, which he won in June by stopping Alex Pereira at the White House, has now been converted into the undisputed title following Aspinall’s decision to vacate.
Gane, 36, becomes the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time after previously holding the interim championship twice.
Ciryl Gane vs Hokit headlines UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden
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Ciryl Gane’s first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title will come against No. 4 contender Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The fight was booked after Aspinall’s ongoing eye problems prevented him from continuing as champion. His issues stem from their October 2025 fight, which ended in a first-round no-contest after Aspinall suffered an eye poke.
Aspinall subsequently underwent surgeries and remains sidelined. With his return still uncertain, he vacated the championship earlier this week.
Gane’s interim-title victory over Pereira was also controversial, with some fans believing he landed multiple illegal blows to the back of Pereira’s head.
UFC 334 will also feature a major women’s bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes. Nunes is returning from retirement to challenge her former teammate for the championship she once held.
Harrison is looking to rebound from a serious neck injury, while Nunes, widely regarded as the G.O.A.T., has not competed in three years. Those circumstances add intrigue to the matchup.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will also face Charles Radtke in what will be Thompson’s final UFC fight. Although Thompson never won UFC gold, he remains one of the sport’s notable fighters to have never captured a championship.
The heavyweight title picture, however, may not feel fully settled until Aspinall returns and gets another opportunity to compete for the championship he never traditionally lost.
Full UFC 334 match card
- Ciryl Gane (c) vs Josh Hokit — Heavyweight, UFC Heavyweight Championship
- Kayla Harrison (c) vs Amanda Nunes — Women’s Bantamweight, UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
- Caio Borralho vs Yousri Belgaroui — Middleweight
- Uros Medic vs Kevin Holland — Welterweight
- Bilal Hasan vs Luis Gurule — Flyweight
- Stephen Thompson vs Charles Radtke — Welterweight
- Drew Dober vs Chris Duncan — Lightweight
- Jim Miller vs Terrance McKinney — Lightweight
- Donte Johnson vs Baisangur Susurkaev — Lightweight
- Bia Mesquita vs Macy Chiasson — Bantamweight
- Adrian Yanez vs Juan Diaz — Bantamweight
- Nazim Sadykhov vs Jefferson Nascimento — Bantamweight
Is Ciryl Gane the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion?
Yes. Gane has been elevated to undisputed champion following Tom Aspinall’s decision to vacate the title.
Who will Ciryl Gane fight at UFC 334?
Gane will defend the UFC heavyweight championship against Josh Hokit at Madison Square Garden.
Why did Tom Aspinall vacate the UFC heavyweight title?
Aspinall vacated the championship because of ongoing complications from the eye injury he suffered in his fight with Gane.
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