ABU DHABI – Ciryl Gane was feeling good – and then it was over.

The UFC 321 main event did not end in an outcome he nor many others envisioned. Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) poked Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the eye late in Round 1 of their heavyweight title fight Saturday. The effects of the foul were fight-ending as Aspinall was unable to continue. The bout was ruled a no contest. Aspinall remained champion.

"I think I started very well," Gane told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference backstage at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. "Because everybody knows the strategy. Every time he started really hard and surprised his opponent. I think I did very well. We defended the takedown. I touched him. We saw some blood on his nose. It was a really great first round. That's why maybe I was a little bit disappointed, a little bit sad about this issue. But this is a sport."

Gane said he didn't feel anything that indicated the foul was anything beyond the common eye poke. He said he didn't do it intentionally and felt bad about the situation, particularly as he's been on the receiving end of eye pokes in high-level fights.

"No, I didn't feel anything specific," Gane said. "I didn't do it on purpose. I know what it is to have an eye poke because when I fought Derrick Lewis, I got an eye poke and I was fighting two Derrick Lewises for a full round. So I know how it is."

UFC CEO Dana White said Saturday after the conclusion of the event that the promotion's plan is to run back a rematch as soon as possible. Whenever that is, Gane said he'll be ready. He's unwilling to let what he thinks was successful preparation, game-planning and early execution go to waste.

"I knew he loves to start really fast, so I was touching him," Gane said. "I was defending the takedown. In the middle of the first round, I was feeling myself in a certain flow. I started to understand really well what was happening. I thought I would end this fight. ... I was ready for absolutely everything, for the wrestling, for the grappling, for the striking. I was working on also a lot of good things that I used to show and I used to like. The creativity in the striking is my thing. It's absolutely something I wanted to show off today."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ciryl Gane reacts to UFC 321 eye poke: 'I didn't do it on purpose'

Reporting by Nolan King, MMA Junkie / MMA Junkie

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