Ciryl Gane has been elevated to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion and will defend the title against Josh Hokit in November.
The fight will take place at Madison Square Garden in the main event of UFC 334, with the co-main event being a reorganised title fight between champion Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight belt.
The news comes after UFC president Dana White "misspoke" on Friday, per the promotion's ringside commentary team on Saturday, with White having said that Gane would not be upgraded.
Last October, Gane failed to take the undisputed belt from Tom Aspinall in their fight, with the Frenchman's multiple eye pokes forcing a no-contest in round one. Those fouls also led Aspinall to undergo numerous surgeries, and he is still not fully healthy; as such, he vacated the undisputed title this week.
With Gane having won the interim belt in June by stopping Alex Pereira, he has now been elevated to undisputed champion after Aspinall's decision. Gane, 36, becomes the UFC's first-ever undisputed champion, having twice reigned as an interim-title holder.
Even Gane's interim-title win in June was controversial, with many fans believing he landed numerous illegal blows to the back of Pereira's head.