UFC 265 fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane is officially the fastest the UFC have introduced an interim title after the undisputed belt was defended

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Ciryl Gane (left) & Derrick Lewis (right) [Image Credits- @ciryl_gane on Instagram & @Oregonian on Twitter]

As Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane get set to take to the cage to compete for the UFC interim heavyweight strap, ESPN's Brett Okamoto took to Twitter to share an interesting statistic.

Commenting on the timeline of the heavyweight title landscape, Okamoto revealed that UFC 265's main event marked the quickest creation of an interim title after a fight for the division's undisputed title.

Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic competed for the undisputed UFC heavyweight gold only recently on March 27. The UFC created the interim belt to be fought for just 133 days down the line on August 7.

Also per @ESPNStatsInfo, this is the fastest the UFC has ever created an interim title, following a divisional title fight. 133 days. The quickest prior to this was Poirier/Holloway for the 155 pound interim title, which was 189 days after Nurmagomedov/McGregor in 2018.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 8, 2021

Although the decision left heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou incensed, it brought fans an opportunity to witness some intense in-cage action sooner.

What does the Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane fight do for the heavyweight division?

The victor of Lewis and Gane's clash at UFC 265 will most certainly fight for the undisputed title next.

Derrick Lewis will look to earn yet another opportunity to stake his claim for the ultimate prize by recording a win against 'Bon Gamin'.

His return to the pinnacle of the heavyweight division will mark his second shot at the title in three years. What's more, the hometown hero, who unsuccessfully butted heads with Daniel Cormier back in 2018, will look to stake a stronger claim for divisional gold this time around.

Derrick Lewis reminded Ciryl Gane he only needs one shot to win ☝️ #UFC265

(via @danawhite) pic.twitter.com/PAbWz6wUmY

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 6, 2021

Ciryl Gane, on the other hand, will be going into his fight against 'The Black Beast' with his undefeated record hanging in the balance. UFC 265 marks his championship fight debut in the UFC. Hoping to secure gold at the first attempt, the stakes for Ciryl Gane are through the roof.

Francis Ngannou has made his displeasure quite clear at the setting up of an interim title fight as he awaits the opportunity to defend his title on the sidelines.

The UFC will be looking to set up a fight for the title between Francis Ngannou and the victor of Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane in the coming months.

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