Hokit Calls Out Gane After Aspinall Vacates UFC Title

Josh Hokit wants a title shot against Ciryl Gane now that Tom Aspinall has vacated the UFC heavyweight championship.

Aspinall announced Monday morning that he was giving up the belt after suffering what he described as a devastating new eye injury. The British champion has been sidelined since October 2025, when he took brutal eye pokes from Gane during their title fight. He had hoped to return for a rematch by year's end, but the latest setback ended those plans.

Hokit Targets Gane and Pereira for 2027

Hokit, ranked sixth at heavyweight, posted on X two hours after the news broke. "The fans deserve Me vs Gane. I'll give Ciryl what he has coming," he wrote, per MMA Mania. "If Alex can win 1 fight in my weight class, I'll give it to him too, early '27. I'll be the most active champ in the company."

Gane holds the interim heavyweight title and is expected to be elevated to undisputed champion. He stopped former two-division champion Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June, though Pereira has maintained the finish came off illegal blows.

The heavyweight division has seen three champions relinquish the belt without losing in the cage. Francis Ngannou left after his contract expired, Jon Jones held the title without defending, and now Aspinall has been forced out by injury. UFC president Dana White told reporters the division will keep rolling without Aspinall, but whether the promotion books Hokit or grants Pereira an immediate rematch remains unclear.

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• MMA Mania — Josh Hokit reacts to heavyweight title chaos: ‘I’ll give Ciryl what he has coming’