Alongside the announcement, a title fight against Josh Hokit has been set for UFC 334.

The move comes on the heels of Gane's win over Alex Pereira on June 14, 2026, when he stopped him with punches in the second round at 1:27. That performance already had him sitting at number one in our own Heavyweight rankings.

The Hokit fight is booked for UFC 334 on November 14, 2026, with Gane installed as a heavy favorite at -250. Our own model gives him a 71 percent chance at lean confidence. On Elo, Gane sits at 1577 across five bouts, while Tom Aspinall's UFC heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest at UFC 321, numbers close enough to show just how unsettled the picture at heavyweight really is.

Adding to the confusion, our own tracker still lists Aspinall as the current heavyweight champion. Between the conflicting reports, it is not clear whether Gane walks into the Hokit fight already wearing the undisputed belt or still chasing it. Either way, Hokit now finds himself in the biggest fight of his career, and the heavyweight division has some sorting out to do before November 14.