Dana White Confirms Ciryl Gane Won’t Be Promoted to Undisputed UFC Champion, Must Fight for the Title

A few days ago, Tom Aspinall officially vacated the UFC heavyweight title after nearly a year on the sidelines. The Englishman relinquished the belt after his last fight at UFC 321 in October 2025 against Ciryl Gane. That night, disaster struck when a double eye poke from Gane forced the fight to end in a no-contest.

Aspinall has been out of action ever since. He was later diagnosed with the rare bilateral traumatic Brown's syndrome and has since undergone double eye surgery. Eddie Hearn recently revealed that Aspinall needed more time to undergo additional tests before he could be 100% healthy.