Earlier this week, Tom Aspinall stunned the MMA world by announcing that he had vacated his UFC heavyweight title. In an Instagram post, the Englishman revealed that lingering eye issues stemming from Ciryl Gane’s UFC 321 eye poke had made his return uncertain. With Aspinall no longer holding the title, interim champion Gane appeared to be in line for promotion to undisputed. However, Dana White has now made it clear that won’t happen immediately.

In a recent interview with Sportsnet, the UFC CEO clarified Gane’s championship status.

“Does it make him the undisputed champion?” Dana White said. “No, he still gotta fight. Very soon. Well, I mean, we’ll see how this whole thing plays out with Aspinall. Ciryl will fight, and we’ll see who becomes the champion.  

“I mean, this isn’t like this is the first time this has ever happened. This is nothing new. This happens sometimes. It’s unfortunate. This is not the best outcome, but it is what it is.”

Based on Dana White‘s statement, it appears the Frenchman will remain the interim champion, for the time being, and will need to fight to win the undisputed title. This makes the scenario interesting for one reason.

Normally, an interim champion serves as a temporary titleholder while the undisputed champion is unable to defend the belt because of injury or another circumstance. When the undisputed champion eventually vacates the title, the UFC has often elevated the interim champion to undisputed status.

In fact, the UFC followed that path last year when Jon Jones vacated the heavyweight title, and Aspinall was elevated from interim champion status to undisputed champion. Gane, however, will have to fight for the vacant undisputed title instead.

But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

In 2017, Tony Ferguson won the interim lightweight championship by defeating Kevin Lee at UFC 216. The following year, Dana White announced that the promotion had decided to strip Conor McGregor of the lightweight title because of his inactivity.

Despite the belt remaining vacant thereafter, Ferguson was not immediately elevated to undisputed champion. Instead, the UFC booked Ferguson against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the vacant title at UFC 223 in 2018.

Ferguson was forced to withdraw from the fight after suffering a knee injury, with Al Iaquinta ultimately stepping in to face Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Dagestan native then won a unanimous decision and became the new undisputed lightweight champion.

That precedent helps explain Dana White’s comments, but it also leaves the heavyweight division with an important question: who will Gane fight for the vacant title?

Several contenders have already made their interest known.

Stefan Struve reveals ideal opponent for Ciryl Gane in heavyweight title fight 

Alex Pereira has been pushing for a rematch with Gane following their controversial heavyweight clash at UFC Freedom 250. The Brazilian believes he deserves another opportunity because of the circumstances surrounding his second-round knockout loss.

Meanwhile, heavyweight contender Josh Hokit has repeatedly taken to social media to argue that Pereira does not deserve another shot at the heavyweight title. Hokit has also made it clear that he wants to face Gane himself.

Both fighters have called for a matchup with the interim champion at UFC 334, which is currently scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden. However, former UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve believes there is another contender who deserves consideration: Alexander Volkov.

Struve’s preference is rooted in the history between Volkov and Gane, particularly their controversial second meeting.

“I still firmly believe Alexander Volkov won that second fight against Ciryl Gane,” Struve told Heavy. “In an ideal world, Aspinall vs. Volkov 2 was the logical fight to make, but since Gane walked away with the decision on the scorecards, that door closed.

“Regardless, I still think Volkov deserves the next title shot. Looking at the rest of the division, Josh Hokit is a guy who definitely talks the talk and walks the walk, but he needs at least one more marquee win to earn a title shot.”

Gane has already defeated Volkov twice. The first fight took place at a 2021 Fight Night event, where Gane won a unanimous decision. Their second clash at UFC 310 was far more controversial, with many believing Volkov had done enough to win before the judges awarded Gane a split decision.

The result even prompted Dana White to approach Volkov outside the Octagon and apologize for the decision. Since then, ‘Drago’ has picked up two victories over heavyweight contenders, strengthening the case made by those who believe he deserves another opportunity.

For now, though, Gane remains the interim heavyweight champion, and White has made it clear that he will have to win another fight to claim the undisputed title.

Whether that fight comes against Pereira, Hokit, Volkov, or another contender remains to be seen. With the heavyweight title now vacant, the UFC has several options to consider before deciding who will stand across from Gane for the undisputed championship.