Tom Aspinall’s first heavyweight title defense ended in controversy as his fight against Ciryl Gane was declared a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. This comes after Aspinall’s quick victory over Curtis Blaydes in July 2024.
The British star was set to face Jon Jones in a unification bout, but Jones retired without committing to the fight, leading to Aspinall being promoted to undisputed champion. The highly anticipated bout with Gane was halted in the first round by a referee decision following the eye poke incident.
Both fighters expressed disappointment with the outcome, with Aspinall vocal about the eye poke affecting his vision and Gane apologizing for the incident. Aspinall was taken to the hospital after the fight, with UFC President Dana White indicating a desire to rebook the match.
In other UFC 321 highlights, Mackenzie Dern became the new women’s strawweight champion, Umar Nurmagomedov secured a victory, and Alexander Volkov and Azamat Murzakanov also emerged victorious on the main card.
