Lewis-Gane booked for interim heavyweight title at UFC 265
Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane will fight for the interim heavyweight title in the UFC 265 main event Aug. 7 in Houston, UFC president Dana White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Francis Ngannou was unavailable to defend the undisputed belt in June or August, according to Okamoto.
Lewis, the No. 2-ranked heavyweight, was originally in talks to face Ngannou in June and then August before the UFC reportedly moved on from the matchup. Before that, the promotion had been targeting a title fight between Ngannou and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Ngannou accepted an offer to face Lewis on Sept. 25, but the UFC went ahead with Lewis-Gane in August instead, sources told MMA reporter Ariel Helwani.
The 34-year-old's agent told Okamoto the UFC's decision to create an interim title was shocking. Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic in March to win the undisputed belt. He returned to his native Cameroon for all of May and only came back to the United States in early June. He also recently traveled to Dubai on a business trip.
"This comes as a complete shock," agent Marquel Martin said. "To make an interim title so soon, if you look at the history of this division, it comes as a surprise.
"Francis is just now returning to the states to begin training, and he just won the title three months ago. We're unsure of what the reasoning is behind this, but we hope to get clarity soon and figure out something with the UFC soon."
Lewis, a Houston resident, is coming off a vicious knockout win over Curtis Blaydes in February. "The Black Beast" is riding a four-fight winning streak. He's challenged for the undisputed heavyweight belt once before and holds a 2018 win over Ngannou.
Gane headlined the UFC's most recent event, defeating Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision Saturday. The Frenchman is undefeated as a professional MMA fighter and holds a 6-0 record in the Octagon, ranking No. 3 in the division. Gane used to train with Ngannou at MMA Factory in Paris.
UFC 265 will also feature a women's bantamweight title fight between Julianna Pena and two-division champion Amanda Nunes.