Tom Aspinall's UFC exit opens door for Josh Hokit's bold title demand

Josh Hokit has called for a title shot after Tom Aspinall vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight belt.

Aspinall relinquished the title after ongoing eye-related complications prevented him from receiving medical clearance to return to the Octagon. Hokit claims a matchup between himself and interim champ Ciryl Gane should now determine the next heavyweight king.

Shortly after Aspinall announced his decision to vacate the heavyweight title, Hokit called for a fight against Gane on social media.

“The fans deserve Me vs Gane,” Hokit wrote on X. “I’ll give Ciryl what he has coming. 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.”

Both Gane and Hokit recorded stoppage victories at UFC Freedom 250, where “Bon Gamin” beat Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title and “The Incredible Hok” knocked out Derrick Lewis.

Notably, Pereira has also called out Gane. “Poatan” recently took to Instagram to campaign for a rematch with the Frenchman, claiming that illegal shots to the back of his head played a pivotal role in the finishing sequence when they collided at the White House event.