UFC 321 Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane

If the UFC heavyweight division didn't seem cursed before, it certainly does now.

Saturday at UFC 321, the highly-anticipated kickstart of the promotion's biggest division went nowhere as champion Tom Aspinall was rendered unable to continue after an eye poke by Ciryl Gane. The fight was ruled a no contest at the 4:35 mark of Round 1.

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) took all five minutes after Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) dug fingers in both of his eyes with a downward scraping motion. A meeting with Aspinall, referee Jason Herzog, and two doctors transpired, but the heavyweight champion said he could not see. The fight was called off.

After the fight, a frustrated Aspinall vented, particularly peeved by fans' boos. Gane apologized for the infraction and said he'd be ready for a rematch whenever it becomes available.

The fight was Aspinall's first as undisputed champion after Jon Jones retired and relinquished the title. He had not competed since July 2024. Gane, who had not competed since December, rode a two-fight winning streak into the bout.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 321 results:

  • Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane declared no contest (accidental eye poke by Gane) – Round 1, 4:35 – for heavyweight title
  • Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – for women's strawweight title
  • Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:11
  • Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 2:30
  • Ikram Aliskerov def. JunYong Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-27, 28-27, 28-28)
  • Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:24
  • Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
  • Mitch Raposo def. Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
  • Mizuki Inoue def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 321 results: Foul causes dissapointing end to Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane

Reporting by Nolan King, MMA Junkie / MMA Junkie

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