Ciryl Gane: record, style and what is next

Image: Official White House Photo by Abe McNatt, public domain

Ciryl Gane is the UFC heavyweight champion, and he puts the belt on the line against the undefeated Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on 14 November 2026. As of 30 September 2026 he has 14 wins and 2 losses in MMA, plus one no contest, and the UFC athlete page lists him at number 11 in the men's pound-for-pound rankings.

He is a Frenchman from La Roche-sur-Yon in the Vendee, born on 12 April 1990, and his nickname is "Bon Gamin", which translates as "Good Kid". He stands 6 ft 4 in (76 inches) with an 81 inch reach, which is long even for a heavyweight, and he fights out of MMA Factory in Paris under Fernand Lopez.

The title picture changed quickly this year. Gane won the interim heavyweight belt by stopping Alex Pereira on 14 June 2026. On 14 September, Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight title because of ongoing complications from the eye injury he suffered against Gane in October 2025. The UFC 334 coverage now bills Gane as the undisputed champion defending the belt.

Gane wins from distance. He is an orthodox striker with a Muay Thai background, and he fights at long range behind the jab, feints, front kicks and round kicks to the leg, body and head. His footwork is unusually light for a division of 265 pounders, and he uses small changes of stance and hand movement to draw a reaction before he commits.

Volume and movement matter more to him than one big exchange. He rarely stands and trades long boxing combinations in the pocket. He prefers short entries, sharp exits and angle changes, and he keeps his opponent at the end of his kicks. The numbers back that up: Wikipedia's summary of UFC statistics credits him with a 61.7 per cent significant strike accuracy, the second highest in heavyweight history behind Alistair Overeem.

The weak spot has been the same for years. His wrestling and defensive grappling are the least developed part of his game, and the two biggest defeats of his career came there. Francis Ngannou took him down and controlled most of rounds three to five in January 2022, and Jon Jones submitted him with a first-round guillotine in March 2023. Gane does carry submission ability, with a heel hook, an arm triangle and a front choke among his early finishes, but his route to winning is to stay upright and score.

Gane came to fighting late. He played football and basketball as a boy, worked in furniture sales and did a work-study programme in Paris, where a former classmate introduced him to Muay Thai. The UFC lists him as a two-time French Muay Thai champion, and Wikipedia records his professional Muay Thai debut on 4 June 2016, a second-round knockout of Jeremy Jeanne in an AFMT heavyweight title fight.

He moved into MMA in 2018 and won the vacant TKO heavyweight title against Bobby Sullivan with a first-round front choke, then defended it twice. He debuted in the UFC on 10 August 2019 with an arm triangle finish of Raphael Pessoa. A heel hook on Don'Tale Mayes in October 2019 earned a Performance of the Night bonus, and he followed with wins over Tanner Boser, Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alexander Volkov.

Derrick Lewis was the breakthrough. Gane stopped him in round three at UFC 265 in August 2021 to take the interim heavyweight title. Ngannou beat him in the unification fight at UFC 270, which was his first defeat in any martial art. A third-round knockout of Tai Tuivasa in September 2022 won Fight of the Night, then Jones submitted him for the vacant belt at UFC 285. A second-round TKO of Serghei Spivac in September 2023 started the run he is on now.

Gane has not lost since March 2023, and his last four fights are three wins and a no contest. On 7 December 2024 he beat Volkov by split decision at UFC 310. It was a close fight that most media scorecards gave to Volkov, and Dana White said afterwards that he thought Volkov had won.

On 25 October 2025 he fought Aspinall for the heavyweight title at UFC 321. Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes in a competitive first round, Aspinall could not continue, and the bout was ruled a no contest. The fallout from that injury is what eventually led Aspinall to vacate.

Then came Pereira on 14 June 2026, in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House. Pereira, a former middleweight and two-time light heavyweight champion, was moving up to heavyweight for the first time, chasing a third UFC title in a third division. Gane dropped him with a right hand and kept hitting until referee Herb Dean stepped in at 1:27 of round two. TheScore reported the win as the interim title victory, and Wikipedia lists a $425,000 Performance of the Night award.

Gane's next fight is confirmed. He defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on 14 November 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Combat Press lists Hokit as 10-0, and the Yahoo Sports report on the card adds that Hokit came through the Contender Series in 2025. It is Gane's first defence of the belt.

A win keeps the belt with Gane, and any Aspinall rematch would wait on Aspinall's recovery: he has said the timing of his return is unclear and that he is not retiring. A loss would end Gane's unbeaten run since March 2023 and open the title to a new champion. The fight will also show whether a challenger can close the distance on Gane, which is where his two defeats began.

• UFC: Ciryl Gane athlete profile
• Wikipedia: Ciryl Gane
• theScore: Gane TKOs Pereira to claim UFC interim heavyweight title
• Combat Press: UFC 334 brings Gane vs. Hokit, Harrison vs. Nunes to Madison Square Garden
• Al Jazeera: Tom Aspinall vacates UFC heavyweight title due to eye injury
• Yahoo Sports: Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit, Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes title fights set for UFC 334

Is Ciryl Gane the UFC heavyweight champion?

Yes. Gane won the interim heavyweight title by stopping Alex Pereira on 14 June 2026, and Tom Aspinall vacated the belt on 14 September 2026 because of eye injury complications. The UFC 334 card now bills Gane as the undisputed champion defending the title against Josh Hokit on 14 November 2026.

Who is Ciryl Gane fighting next?

Gane fights Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York on 14 November 2026, in the main event. Hokit is unbeaten at 10-0. It is Gane's first defence of the heavyweight title since Aspinall vacated it.

What is Ciryl Gane's MMA record?

As of 30 September 2026, Gane has 14 wins and 2 losses, plus one no contest against Tom Aspinall at UFC 321 in October 2025. His losses came against Francis Ngannou in January 2022 and Jon Jones in March 2023. He has not lost since.

How did Ciryl Gane beat Alex Pereira?

Gane knocked Pereira down with a right hand in round two of UFC Freedom 250 on 14 June 2026 and followed up with heavy strikes on the feet until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 1:27. It was Pereira's first fight at heavyweight.

What is Ciryl Gane's fighting style?

Gane is an orthodox Muay Thai based striker who fights at long range with the jab, feints, front kicks and round kicks. He relies on movement and volume rather than trading in the pocket. His wrestling and grappling defence are seen as the less developed side of his game.

Where is Ciryl Gane from?

Gane is French, born on 12 April 1990 in La Roche-sur-Yon in the Vendee. He lives in the Paris area and trains at MMA Factory in Paris. He worked in furniture sales before he took up Muay Thai and turned professional in 2016.