Despite Dana White’s earlier claims that it was not the case, Ciryl Gane has been elevated to the role of undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.
The announcement was made as part of the UFC 331 main card broadcast, during which it was announced Gane will defend the championship against Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334.
The UFC commentary team claimed White misspoke when he said last night that Gane would have to fight to become undisputed champion. This was not the case for Tom Aspinall either, as he was elevated upon Jon Jones’ retirement in 2025.
Gane had been interim heavyweight champion since the UFC White House card, UFC Freedom 250 in June, where he defeated Alex Pereira.
Earlier this week, Aspinall surrendered the UFC heavyweight championship after injuring his eye more during training.
Aspinall’s injury stretches back to when he and Gane faced off in the main event of UFC 321, which ended in a no contest.
Gane has previously challenged for the undisputed heavyweight title on two occasions, losing to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.
