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Ciryl Gane has been elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion following Tom Aspinall’s decision to vacate the title, with Josh Hokit confirmed as his first challenger at UFC 334.
The UFC announced during Saturday’s UFC 331 broadcast that Gane will defend the heavyweight championship against Hokit on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The announcement came less than 24 hours after UFC CEO Dana White had played down the prospect of promoting the two-time interim champion to undisputed status without another fight.
Aspinall relinquished the title on Monday due to ongoing complications from the eye injuries he suffered against Gane in October 2025. Their bout ended in a no-contest after Aspinall was unable to continue following eye pokes in the opening round, and the Briton has remained sidelined since. “I don’t [know when he’s going to be back],” said White, according to Sportsnet. “Obviously whenever he feels healthy again, whenever his eyes are healed, then we’re ready for him.”
“This is nothing new. This happens sometimes,” said White. “It’s unfortunate. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is.” Aspinall had been preparing for a Nov. 14 rematch with Gane before suffering another setback to his right eye, with sources reportedly saying that the injury had been reaggravated to the point of being “the same as day one.”
Gane will instead meet Hokit, who publicly called for the opportunity to “give Ciryl what he has coming” following Aspinall’s decision to vacate the championship. UFC 334 will also feature the rescheduled superfight between women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison and UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes in the co-main event. Gane captured the interim heavyweight championship in Aspinall’s absence in June with a controversial victory over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250. His elevation now begins another undisputed title reign for the French heavyweight, with Hokit set to receive the first opportunity to take the championship from him.
