Background
This event marked the promotion's 13th visit to New York City and first since UFC 322 in November 2025.
A UFC Heavyweight Championship bout between current champion Ciryl Gane and undefeated contender Josh Hokit headlined the event. On September 14, 2026, then-reigning champion Tom Aspinall vacated his heavyweight title due to ongoing complications from the eye injury he sustained via an illegal poke during his title defense against Gane in October 2025 at UFC 321, which ended in a no contest. Gane was originally the interim champion after defeating former UFC Middleweight and two-time UFC Light Heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250. Although CEO Dana White originally said Gane would not be elevated to undisputed champion, White later clarified that he misspoke and confirmed that Gane had indeed been promoted and would enter this bout as the defending champion.
A UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between the reigning champion Kayla Harrison (who is also a 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in judo; and a two-time PFL women's lightweight tournament champion) and former two-time champion Amanda Nunes, who also held the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship, co-headlined the event. Nunes, who is widely considered the greatest women's fighter in UFC history, returned for her first bout since UFC 289 in June 2023, where she announced her retirement following a successful title defense against Irene Aldana. The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 324 in January 2026, but Harrison withdrew from the bout after being diagnosed with herniated discs in her neck, which required surgery. The bout was also reportedly linked to UFC 331, which took place in September, but it did not materialize for undisclosed reasons. Joselyne Edwards served as backup and potential replacement for this fight.
Undefeated prospects Donte Johnson and Baisangur Susurkaev were scheduled to fight at the event in a middleweight bout. However, Susurkaev withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by César Almeida in a catchweight of 190 pounds.
A lightweight bout between Nazim Sadykhov and Jefferson Nascimento was scheduled for the event. However, Nascimento withdrew due to an injury, and Sadykhov subsequently withdrew due to a lingering injury of his own, resulting in the bout's cancellation.
Adrian Yañez and Juan Díaz were expected to meet in a bantamweight bout at the preliminary card. However, Yañez had to withdraw in mid October due to injury and was replaced by Alateng Heili.
At the weigh-ins, two fighters missed weight:
Terrance McKinney weighed in at 160.2 pounds, 4.2 pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit.
Díaz weighed in at 136.4 pounds, 0.4 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit.
Both bouts proceeded at catchweight. The fighters were fined a percentage of their individual purses which went to their opponents Jim Miller (30 percent) and Alateng (20 percent), respectively.
Bonus awards
The following fighters received bonuses: $100,000. The other finishes received $25,000 additional bonuses.
Fight of the Night: Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit
Performance of the Night: Kayla Harrison and Stephen Thompson
See also
2026 in UFC
List of current UFC fighters
List of UFC events
