Dana White Admits to Ciryl Gane Mistake, Talks Josh Hokit Title Shot, and Praises Arman Tsarukyan After UFC 331

Dana White admitted that he made a mistake after saying Ciryl Gane would not become the undisputed champion in an interview.

Dana White Admits to Ciryl Gane Mistake, Talks Josh Hokit Title Shot, and Praises Arman Tsarukyan After UFC 331

Dana White talks about important matters after UFC 331 (Image via UFC.com/MMA Fighting)

After Tom Aspinall vacated the title, everyone thought Ciryl Gane would get promoted to undisputed champion status. However, Dana White told Diana Belbita that was not the case. At UFC 331 in Los Angeles, the promotion announced UFC 334 fight card set for November with Gane defending the title.

Soon, the MMA community were confused by White’s earlier statement. On the UFC 331 broadcast, Joe Rogan revealed that the UFC CEO misspoke about the whole ordeal, and that the French fighter was now the reigning undisputed champion.

Ciryl Gane is now currently the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Dana White misspoke… He said he messed up afterwards.

Joe Rogan via UFC 331 broadcast

Fellow commentator, Daniel Cormier, claimed that White didn’t hear properly due to the problems in his left ear. Apparently, Belbita didn’t speak to White on his right side.

Now, the stage is set for UFC 334 with Gane defending his belt against rising star Josh Hokit. In the co-main event, Kayla Harrison takes on women’s legend Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title.

When Dana White came to the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, one reporter made sure to seek clarification regarding what he said about Gane previously. In that moment, the UFC CEO admitted to messing things up with an expletive.

Furthermore, the multi-millionaire was asked about Hokit getting the title shot in November and the potential backlash that comes due to his personality. White didn’t shy away from the question and admitted that he doesn’t expect Hokit to change.

I say it all the time, I don’t have to like you for you to thrive here and be successful. I’m not saying that I don’t like Josh Hokit. I literally don’t like anything Josh Hokit says. And that’s not gonna change unless he changes, which I don’t see happening. So, I’m gonna have to deal with that. That’s a me issue.

Dana White via UFC 331 post-fight press conference

In recent times, Hokit dominated the headlines in the heavyweight division with undefeated run through the rankings and his chaotic personality. He also vowed to make title fights exciting again if given the opportunity. At UFC 331, Hokit gets to finally prove his worth to everyone by taking on Gane.

Hokit has a well-rounded skillset and doesn’t mind using his wrestling to get the win. In the past, the Frenchman has struggled with takedown threats. As such, Hokit remains the biggest threat in the heavyweight division apart from Aspinall to trouble Gane’s title reign.

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Dana White talks Arman Tsarukyan turning career around from bad reputation

Josh Hokit was not the only one grabbing attention tonight. Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan may have cemented his status as the next title challenger with a stunning knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy.

Dana White talks about Arman Tsarukyan after UFC 331
Dana White talks about Arman Tsarukyan after UFC 331 (Image via Fox News/UFC X Account)

Multiple controversies have kept Tsarukyan from getting a title shot. ‘The Batman’ received huge praise from the UFC CEO for delivering in the co-main event after past behavioral problems.

When you mess up, then come back and do everything the right way, I mean, he couldn’t have had a better comeback after the things he had done. And then to go and perform the way he performed… incredible.

Dana White via UFC 331 post-fight press conference

At the same time, the UFC CEO didn’t reveal what was next for the Armenian superstar. The UFC discussed a potential rematch between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria. However, Tsarukyan’s stock rose after UFC 331 and fans believe that the Armenian deserved the next title shot.

Before the bout, Tsarukyan admitted that a loss to Ruffy would take him out of the title picture forever. It remains to be seen if the promotion decides to give the next title shot to the Armenian contender as a reward for his UFC 331 performance.

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