Dana White Says Ciryl Gane Is Not Undisputed Champion While Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev Wins in RAF

Dana White gives major update as Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev dominates Friday ahead of UFC 331.

Dana White Says Ciryl Gane Is Not Undisputed Champion While Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev Wins in RAF

Dana White, Ciryl Gane, Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington (Image via DAZN/MMA Fighting)

Tom Aspinall vacated the undisputed heavyweight title after re-injuring his eye following his return to training. The British fighter got poked in the eye by Ciryl Gane last year, and had to get double eye surgery. Now, UFC CEO Dana White has a task of figuring out the heavyweight division.

During Aspinall’s absence, the promotion booked an interim title fight between Gane and Alex Pereira. The French fighter secured a second round TKO finish to win the belt. However, there was much controversy due to some back of the head shots landed on Pereira during the finishing sequence.

There was a large portion of fanbase that complained about the fouls committed by Gane. As such, they didn’t like it when Aspinall had to vacate with Gane now holding the title. In a surprising twist, the UFC CEO revealed that the Frenchman would not be upgraded to the undisputed champion.

Does (Aspinall vacating the belt) make him (Gane) the undisputed champion? No. He’s still gonna fight… I mean we’ll see how this whole thing plays out with Aspinall you know. 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. Not the best outcome, but it is what it is.

Dana White told Sportsnet

The fanbase has taken a dislike towards Gane due to his constant fouls in the UFC. Aspinall even released a compilation of the fouls committed by the Frenchman on social media. Most fans were in agreement with White regarding the matter.

At the same time, White didn’t reveal who they planned to give the next title shot to face Gane. Alex Pereira has remained insistent on wanting to rematch Gane for redemption. Meanwhile, rising star Josh Hokit called for a title shot to make UFC title fights exciting again.

There are two more numbered events coming in November and December. One of those events could feature the next undisputed heavyweight title fight.

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Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev earns dominant victories at RAF 13

RAF 13 featured Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev taking on Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, respectively. The event at the Watsco Center in Miami, Florida had 13 bouts in total.

Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev
Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev (Image via MMA Fighting/RAF X Account)

The co-main event saw an entertaining wrestling bout between Chimaev and Burns. Although Chimaev won the bout via tech fall in round 2 with a score of 15-4, Burns made the Chechen work for the victory. There was nothing but respect between the two former UFC rivals.

Following the bout, Chimaev called out Covington to a future wrestling bout in RAF. The Chechen superstar will fly to Los Angeles to corner his teammate, Arman Tsarukyan, at UFC 331.

Meanwhile, Colby Covington defeated Belal Muhammad 10-0 in a shutout performance. Despite the longstanding beef between the duo, Covington backed up all his trash talk at RAF 13.

Following the bout, there was no animosity between Covington and Muhammad. The duo spoke briefly and went on their way. Soon, MMA legend Chael Sonnen interviewed the former interim UFC welterweight champion after the bout.

Covington listed names like Burns, Kamaru Usman, and Tyron Woodley before calling out Chimaev by his controversial nickname.

Chimaev and Covington were linked to fight multiple times when the Chechen fought in the welterweight division. However, that matchup never materialized in the UFC.

RAF is looking to expand globally after finding much success in its short run. The promotion is likely heading to Abu Dhabi in November as revealed by Chimaev. The Chechen also accidentally leaked that the promotion wanted to book him vs Covington for the Abu Dhabi event.

That looks like the next logical step in RAF matchmaking. After all, Chimaev recently complained about UFC not booking matchups for him. If the former middleweight champion doesn’t get booked, an RAF bout against Covington makes the most sense to close out the year.

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