Heavyweight Title Picture: Volkov, Hokit and Who's Next for the Belt

Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov
Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane

Image credit: UFC.com

By OctagonStats Editorial Team

The UFC heavyweight division has a new champion, a first title defense booked, and a contender openly rooting for the challenger to win.

Ciryl Gane was promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion in September after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt. Josh Hokit gets the first shot at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. And Alexander Volkov has already picked his preferred matchup: "For me, it will be the easiest fight ever, easier title shot," he said of facing Hokit.

Alexander Volkov (Image: UFC.com)
Alexander Volkov (Image: UFC.com)

The champion: Ciryl Gane

Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is the undisputed champion for the first time, but the belt has not quieted the questions around him.

He won the interim title with a second-round TKO of Alex Pereira at the UFC's landmark Freedom 250 event at the White House in June. When Aspinall's eye injuries forced him to vacate in September, Gane was elevated from interim to undisputed champion.

The promotion was controversial. Aspinall's eye damage came from an accidental eye poke by Gane himself in the opening round of their October 2025 title fight at UFC 321, which was ruled a no-contest. Aspinall needed multiple eye surgeries and took another blow to the eye in training, ending his recovery.

Gane's title history is long but incomplete. He previously lost title fights to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. His UFC 310 split-decision win over Volkov in December 2024 was widely disputed.

Per the OctagonStats database, Gane lands 5.40 significant strikes per minute and absorbs 2.31 — one of the strongest strike differentials among ranked heavyweights.

Ciryl Gane (Image: UFC.com)
Ciryl Gane (Image: UFC.com)

The challenger: Josh Hokit

Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the most fast-tracked heavyweight contender in recent memory.

The 28-year-old did not make his UFC debut until August 2025. His last outing was a second-round TKO win over Derrick Lewis at UFC Freedom 250 — the same card where Gane stopped Pereira.

Four UFC fights, four wins, zero losses — and now a title shot against a champion with 11 UFC appearances. Hokit warned Gane not to fight him the way he fought Pereira, claiming better "eyes and reactions" than the former two-division champion.

The numbers back up the confidence, at least on volume. Per the OctagonStats database, Hokit lands 9.29 significant strikes per minute — more than any heavyweight with at least four UFC fights in the dataset.

The man waiting: Alexander Volkov

Volkov (30-11 MMA, 14-5 UFC) has the strongest paper case for the next shot and knows it.

He fights Rizvan Kuniev (14-3-1-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi in what he describes as a No. 1 contender fight. Win, and the path to the belt runs through the UFC 334 main event.

His recent résumé is the best of any active contender. Volkov's only loss in the past four years came in that controversial split decision to Gane at UFC 310. He followed it with back-to-back wins over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Jailton Almeida.

Volkov is ranked No. 4 in the Meta rankings and No. 2 in the Media rankings — both above Hokit. He has 6 feet 7 inches of height and lands 4.84 significant strikes per minute per the OctagonStats database.

Then there is the quote that put this article in motion. Volkov told Helen Yee that he is rooting for Hokit to beat Gane so they can meet for the belt — because a Hokit title fight would be, in his words, "the easiest fight ever."

Recent heavyweight title history

The division's last two years have been the most chaotic in its history.

Who has the strongest case?

The matchmaking is already written for the next two months. The question is what happens after.

If Hokit beats Gane, Volkov gets his wish — a title fight he has publicly called the easiest of his career, provided he beats Kuniev on Oct. 24. That scenario also delivers Volkov the belt matchup he was arguably denied after the disputed Gane decision at UFC 310.

If Gane beats Hokit, Volkov is the obvious next man up. His ranking, his streak, and his only recent loss being a razor-thin decision to the champion make the rematch unavoidable. A Gane-Volkov rematch would settle the UFC 310 controversy with the belt on the line.

The one name hovering outside the picture is Aspinall. If his eye heals, an immediate rematch with the man whose poke ended his reign writes itself. For now, he is an unknown.

On the numbers, Volkov has the case. On momentum, Hokit has the belt shot. The division's next two cards will decide both.

Sources

Fight data compiled from public statistical sources (ufcstats.com) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). OctagonStats is an independent database, not affiliated with UFC / TKO Group.