Dana White: Ciryl Gane will not be promoted after Aspinall vacates heavyweight title
UFC President Dana White said on Friday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an interview with Sportsnet that interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane will not be automatically elevated to undisputed champion after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. White added that Gane will have to compete for the vacant undisputed title and that the Frenchman will fight "soon, very soon," though no opponent or date have been announced.
Gane captured the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship in June by defeating Alex Pereira via second-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250. Tom Aspinall announced on Monday that he had relinquished the undisputed heavyweight title because of ongoing complications from eye injuries sustained in the contest with Gane in October 2025. The October bout was ruled a no-contest after Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in both eyes midway through the opening round, leaving Aspinall unable to continue. A rematch had been scheduled for November 14 at UFC 334 before Aspinall reported further problems with his right eye while preparing for that fight.
Aspinall told officials and the promotion he was unable to proceed with the rematch after suffering another setback to his right eye in training, and sources told Uncrowned that the injury had returned to being "the same as day one." The escalation in Aspinall's eye issues prompted his decision to vacate the undisputed title. The vacancy opened the path for the interim belt to be contested for undisputed status rather than being handed to the interim holder.
When asked directly about Gane's status, White said, "Does it make him the undisputed champion? No, he’s still got to fight," and added, "We’ll see how this whole things plays out with Aspinall, and Ciryl will fight, and we’ll see who becomes the champion." White did not provide further details on opponents or scheduling in that interview. He reiterated that the promotion will determine the next steps once the situation with Aspinall is clarified.
White also addressed Aspinall's absence, saying, "I don’t [know when he’s going to be back]," and, "Obviously whenever he feels healthy again, whenever his eyes are healed, then we’re ready for him." He described the situation as unfortunate and added, "This is nothing new. This happens sometimes. It’s unfortunate. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is." Those remarks outlined the promotion's position on welcoming Aspinall back when he has recovered.
Several names have been mentioned as candidates for the vacant undisputed championship, with Alex Pereira, Josh Hokit and Alexander Volkov cited as potential contenders. The list of contenders followed the decision to leave the undisputed belt vacant rather than promote the interim champion. No formal announcements have been made about which contender will face Gane or another opponent for the undisputed title.
White confirmed that Ciryl Gane must fight for the vacant undisputed heavyweight belt in his next UFC appearance; no opponent or date have been announced for that contest.