MMA Knockout

Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane called off after gruesome eye poke in UFC 321 main event

Aspinall remains the UFC's undisputed heavyweight champion.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

The UFC heavyweight division formally moved on from the Jon Jones era when Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane met in the main event of UFC 321.

After a rarely-seen interim title defense that saw Aspinall avenge his lone UFC loss by knocking out Curtis Blaydes in 60 seconds at UFC 304, the 32-year-old was promoted to undisputed heavyweight champion over the summer when Jones retired from fighting and subsequently vacated his title.

It looked as if Aspinall might be headed to a second round for just the second time in his UFC career, but an eye poke from Gane brought things to a halt late in the first round and unfortunately resulted in the fight being declared a No Contest.

Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane Ends After First-Round Eye Poke

Aspinall vs. Gane was the second title fight scheduled for UFC 321, as the co-main event saw Mackenzie Dern win a hard-fought decision in a rematch with Virna Jandiroba to claim the vacant strawweight title.

READ MORE: UFC 321: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane free live stream results & highlights

Entering his third shot at undisputed UFC gold, former interim heavyweight titleholder Gane found himself lined as a sizeable underdog to the newly-promoted heavyweight king.

Many fans were curious to see if Aspinall would choose to strike with Gane or try and utilize a presumed advantage in the grappling department, and the champion did briefly look for a takedown in the early going of the fight before he quickly abandoned the idea.

A high-paced opening round came to a halt when Gane inadvertently appeared to poke Aspinall in both of his eyes. Following a lengthy layoff where Aspinall indicated several times that he was unable to see out of his right eye, referee Jason Herzog called the fight off.

READ MORE: UFC 321 prelims end with disgusting Knockout of the Year candidate

Given that the foul from Gane was deemed unintentional, the fight was declared a No Contest to bring a disappointing end to what was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year.

The first half of the UFC 321 main card saw Alexander Volkov take a narrow split decision over fellow top-ranked heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida in what many viewed as a title eliminator fight, but Volkov will presumably have to wait for his title shot if the UFC elects to rebook the matchup between Aspinall and Gane.

More MMA Knockout News

• Only fighter to defeat UFC Champion Kayla Harrison could rejoin UFC after PFL release

• MMA fighter seals 30-second KO with brutal strike to unconscious opponent

• Dustin Poirier says retirement after UFC has been difficult for him

• UFC star ends retirement for return fight against fan favorite at UFC 323

Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.

Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Published
Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

Home/News