It’s safe to say the UFC’s attempts to restore order to the heavyweight division have not gone according to plan. The Jon Jones saga, which saw him reign as undisputed champion without ever facing Tom Aspinall to unify the belts, dragged on for more than 800 days.
And just when it seemed like a new era was about to begin at UFC 321 in October 2025, Ciryl Gane poked Aspinall in the eye, leaving him with a rare injury that has kept him out of action. The Brit eventually vacated the heavyweight title and is now out of the championship picture. His right eye remains a major concern, as even two surgeries have failed to fully fix the problem.
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Away from the title picture, the division has also taken a hit in terms of star power, with fewer established names among the top 10. However, Gane, who was promoted to undisputed champion after Aspinall vacated the belt, doesn’t share that assessment. The Frenchman is set to defend his title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 and believes the heavyweight division is actually thriving in 2026.
Speaking in an interview with the UFC, Gane said, “The heavyweight division looks a little bit crazy. Like, with Josh Hokit, he jumped for the title shot. When you see a guy like [Alexander] Volkov, he deserves it. This is a little bit complicated for the UFC to manage this because it’s yes, it’s a championship, but it’s also promotion, so I can understand both sides.”
The comments come amid backlash over Hokit’s title shot, with many questioning why he leapfrogged Alexander Volkov. The Russian has won seven of his last eight fights and has a much stronger case based on his recent record. Hokit, meanwhile, has yet to beat anyone in the heavyweight top five and is coming off a win over a 41-year-old Derrick Lewis.
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Despite acknowledging that the division’s matchmaking can be complicated, Gane still believes the heavyweight roster is in a great place. In fact, he thinks the 265-pound division is enjoying the best period in its history, despite plenty of fans feeling otherwise.
He added, “But yeah, very interesting, actually the top 10 is incredible. I heard a lot of people talking about the division of heavyweight [being] a little bit poor. I think the heavyweight division, actually may be the best moment of the heavyweight division’s history.”
