“Bon Gamin†is expected to be elevated to undisputed champ status
after Tom
Aspinall vacated the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title. The
Frenchman, who won the interim title at
UFC Freedom 250 by finishing Pereira, is no longer on track for
a title unification bout with Aspinall, whose Octagon return has
been further delayed due to medical complications.

Pereira is gunning for a rematch with Gane and recently took to
social media to poke holes in the champ's record.

Alex Pereira questions Ciryl Gane's UFC résumé as the
heavyweight title picture changes

Pereira shared a post on Instagram of a graphic questioning Gane's
UFC record. He accompanied his post with the caption: “Champion,â€
followed by three laughing emojis.

The post referenced Gane's previous heavyweight title losses
against Francis
Ngannou and Jon Jones, as
well as his controversial victory over Alexander
Volkov in their rematch, which many scored in favor of the
Russian. It also highlighted Pereira's own loss to Gane, wherein
“Poatan†alleges multiple illegal back-of-the-head shots were
landed.

Josh
Hokit has been rumored as the next opponent for Gane. The
unbeaten American has shut down any possibility of Pereira getting
the next title shot. He reacted to a recently taken image of
Pereira, all smiles, with UFC exec Hunter Campbell, claiming the
former two-division champ isn't in the running for a shot at
heavyweight gold.

“That's the ‘You aren't fighting for the title but you are still
getting 10 million' smile,†Hokit wrote on X.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing co-founder
Dana
White recently claimed Hearn was preventing the fight from
coming to fruition, citing disagreements over whether the bout
should be held in the United Kingdom or the United States. Hearn
recently addressed the same, revealing that he and Joshua remain
adamant that the fight takes place in the U.K.

Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn double down on staging Tyson
Fury fight in Britain

The Matchroom Boxing chairman has emphasized that the focus should
simply be on honoring the existing agreement for the fight.

“Dana White has tried to get involved in a fight that he has
nothing to do with,†Hearn told iFL TV. “All we have ever done is
say, ‘We've signed our contract. Just honor the contract that we've
signed.'â€

Hearn claimed Joshua was offered more money to move the fight to
the U.S. but remained committed to staging the bout in Britain. He
believes public support for a U.K. venue has only strengthened
Joshua's stance and says discussions are now focused on moving
forward with the original plan.

“Anthony Joshua could have taken many millions more to do the fight
in America,†Hearn added. “We want the fight in Britain. The
support that we've had on social media, my social media, A.J.'s
social media, has made us double down on our principles on this.
We're not trying to hurt the fight.â€

Principality Stadium in Cardiff has emerged as a leading U.K.
option, while Wembley has also been discussed. Ultimately, Hearn
emphasized that Joshua will make the final decision regarding the
fight's location.

Silva submitted Jose
Delgado in the third round of the main event of
Noche UFC 4, then called for a shot at the winner of the
upcoming Alexander
Volkanovski vs. Movsar
Evloev championship bout set to headline
UFC 333. Sterling, however, believes Silva needs to go through
him if he wants a title shot.

Aljamain Sterling proposes December showdown with Jean Silva in
UFC featherweight title race

Sterling, who has won his last bouts, had initially suggested a
November matchup with Silva at Madison Square Garden. The former
bantamweight champ is also open to fighting “Lord†in December, so
the latter has ample time to heal and prepare.

“Even if it's a Fight Night, I don't give a f*ck,†Sterling said on
his YouTube channel. “December, run that sh*t. Run that sh*t. Run
that sh*t. All I'm saying is, I want to give him the fair
opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself, and
I would love to have that fight. I want to fight the fights that
make the most sense; the biggest names, the fights that get me
somewhere. Not just taking random fights just to say I fought this
guy. Bro, I don't give a f*ck. I'm 37. It's time to sh*t or get off
the pot.â€

Sterling also believes the timing works well for the division,
particularly with Volkanovski and Evloev scheduled to collide in
October.

“So, the most common-sense thing, in my personal opinion, is to let
us figure it out and see who wins,†Sterling added. “We both stay
busy, stay active and get a clear-cut No. 1 contender for the
title. I know they had the ‘Beware of Dog' signs, but I got
something for that. I like to think my style is the ultimate
equalizer. Just like they talk about power, I got something
else.â€

Sterling is coming off wins over Brian
Ortega and Youssef
Zalal. He's now 3-1 since moving up to the featherweight
division, with his lone defeat at 145 pounds coming in a Fight of
the Night against Evloev in 2024.