UFC 321, this past Saturday, ended in controversy for fans of Mixed Martial Arts. It was a solid event from top to bottom, but the main attraction was Ciryl Gane versus Tom Aspinall. All eyes were on this fight to see who is the best heavyweight since Jon Jones’ retirement. Expectations were particularly high for Tom Aspinall.
Entering the fight, many fans in the MMA community, including myself, didn’t have much confidence in this heavyweight title clash, given the recent trajectories of both fighters’ careers. Although the title fight didn’t last more than a round before the eye poke, Ciryl Gane demonstrated technical abilities that gave Tom trouble, whether the MMA community wants to acknowledge it or not. Gane was winning and managing distance well. Whether he could have maintained this level of performance for the next four rounds without getting tagged or taken down is a different hypothetical question.
The facts presented give us some insight into Gane’s and Aspinall’s contrasting styles. Going into this fight, the grey area was in the grappling and whether Gane could keep the fight standing. Much of this doubt stemmed from his fight against Jon Jones, but on closer inspection, that takedown was largely due to a technical error by Gane overextending on a punch. In this fight, Gane appeared more disciplined in his striking. He did not become overzealous and maintained awareness of the range from which he could strike while mitigating risk from Tom. Gane’s footwork made it difficult for Aspinall to press forward aggressively, and his well-timed jab landed effectively, even contributing to a bloody nose for Tom. Gane was clearly prepared for Aspinall’s signature blitz. Stylistically, both fighters match up well, as both heavyweights are extremely fast for the weight class and highly skilled. Many MMA fans, in my opinion, overlooked the fundamental fact that fights are determined by style matchups in the octagon, not by reputation.
Conclusion
We cannot know what would have happened had the fight continued, but this matchup between Tom and Gane may ironically make the championship bout even bigger. All eyes will be on the rematch whenever that occurs. Tom could dominate Gane next time, or it could be “third time’s the charm” for “Bon Gamin”.
References
Relive the controversial end to Aspinall v Gane at UFC 321. (25 October, 2025). UFC 321 RECAP: Result & reaction as Tom Aspinall v Ciryl Gane ends as no-contest – BBC Sport
