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Ciryl Gane | Undisputed And Ready To Defend
Newly Promoted To Undisputed Champion, France’s Ciryl Gane Enjoyed The Fruits Of His Labor This Summer Before Getting Back To Work Ahead Of UFC 334
Ciryl Gane has had quite the summer.
“Bon Gamin” started with a dominant TKO win over Alex Pereira to claim the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. At the time, the victory all but ensured a rematch with Tom Aspinall. While Gane waited for that match to get scheduled, he took a few holidays to Ibiza, Mykonos, Guadeloupe, and Morocco.
When UFC.com caught up with Gane in Paris before UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs Parnasse, the affable heavyweight was excited to see the Octagon back in the City of Light for the fifth year in a row but still awaiting news on a unification fight against Aspinall.
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About a week later, it was announced that Aspinall was vacating the title, thus making Gane the undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time, and last weekend at Crypto.com UFC 331, it was announced Gane would defend that undisputed belt for the first time opposite Josh Hokit at UFC 334 in New York City.
“It’s never easy,” Gane said. “In MMA, sometimes you must train more than a year because you’re waiting (for) a fight to make sense for everyone, and you’re still training and never know. In two weeks, (the matchmakers) might call and say, ‘Hey, we have a fight for you.’ That’s part of my job, to stay always ready, always in shape, so it is OK.”
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Gane admitted he spent the better part of training since his fight with Pereira preparing for Aspinall’s specific set of skills but also mentioned he was ready to adapt to a different opponent if the assignment ever changed.
The first Frenchman to touch UFC gold when he won the interim belt for the first time back in August 2021, Gane’s promotion to undisputed is a big step in France’s booming mixed martial arts scene, which saw Salahdine Parnasse announce himself as a new lightweight contender when he steamrolled Dan Hooker on September 5.
Ciryl Gane Stops Alex Pereira In Round 2, Wins Interim Heavyweight Title
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Ciryl Gane Stops Alex Pereira In Round 2, Wins Interim Heavyweight Title
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For Gane, his focus is now on the brash Hokit, who is hoping to bring the heavyweight title back to the United States for the first time since Jon Jones retired and vacated the belt in June 2025. Hokit’s ascent has been rapid since earning a UFC contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2025. Hokit went on to win four fights in seven months, including three knockouts, three Performance Bonuses, and a Fight of the Year candidate against Curtis Blaydes. Most recently, Hokit joined Gane at UFC Freedom 250, beating Derrick Lewis via second-round TKO. He’ll be up against it facing Gane, but if you’re a fan of momentum, it’s hard to argue against Hokit, and Gane knows he needs to stay sharp.
“Against Alex Pereira and Tom, people underestimate me, but that’s the game, and I like it,” Gane said. “This is giving me more energy to go back to the gym, to my camp.”
Gane will likely enter the fight as the favorite and hopes to cement himself as the best heavyweight in the world on November 14. Regardless of what critics may have to say about him, what’s clear is Gane is up to the task and distinction, only having lost to Francis Ngannou and Jones since joining the roster in August 2019.
At the World’s Most Famous Arena, Gane expects to leave as the consensus Baddest Man on the Planet.
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