The date for Tom Aspinall's next UFC fight has been set, which will see him defend the undisputed heavyweight title for the first time.
The UFC announced on Tuesday that Aspinall will return to the octagon on October 25 against France's Ciryl Gane, at UFC 321, in Abu Dhabi.
After spending 19 months as interim belt holder, Aspinall was upgraded to undisputed champion of the heavyweight division last month after UFC icon, Jon Jones, retired from fighting.
The decision from Jones meant Aspinall was crowned Britain's first ever UFC heavyweight champion.
Aspinall had been keen to fight Jones but the American never committed to defending his heavyweight title against the Brit.
UFC 321 will mark Aspinall's first outing in the octagon since last July, when he defeated Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 to avenge his 2022 loss to the American.
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His first round knockout victory over Blaydes in Manchester saw him extend his UFC fighting record to 8-1, with all but one of his wins coming inside the opening round.
For Gane, the bout in October will be his third attempt at winning the undisputed UFC heavyweight title, after coming up short in past losses to Jones and Francis Ngannou.
Following the announcement of UFC 321, Aspinall gave his reaction on his YouTube channel, saying: "I believe I am the best heavyweight in the world, but I want to show everyone that I'm the best heavyweight in the world."
The 32-year-old from Salford is also keen to remove Gane from the heavyweight title picture for good, adding: "Ciryl Gane has lost two title shots and I want to give him his third title shot loss and get him out of there."
In addition to announcing the Abu Dhabi card, the UFC announced Magomed Ankalaev will defend his light-heavyweight title against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 on October 4.
The contest in Las Vegas will be a rematch of the fight from March, when Ankalaev dethroned previous belt holder, Pereira, via unanimous decision.
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