Tom Aspinall retained the UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321. The fight only lasted one round, but it wasn’t because of vicious Aspinall strikes.
Instead, the fight ended in a no-contest after Aspinall couldn’t see following brutal eye pokes from Gane (13-2, 1 NC).
The fight had promise to start. They traded shots, with Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) pressing forward and landing hard shots. He was getting damaged from sharp Gane strikes, bleeding from the nose. They continued to trade shots. Then, Gane’s fingers dug into Aspinall’s eyes, forcing the champion to take a break.
Aspinall insisted he couldn’t see as the crowd became restless. After several minutes, the fight was called off. Gane apologized to Aspinall, who was heartbroken.
It's the second championship fight in UFC history to become a no-contest, the first being a 2017 fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. The fight was overturned after Jones failed a drug test.
Gane waited to face Jones for gold, but never got a title fight. He won interim gold, but became champion after Jones retired. This fight was not a great start to his reign. It appears the two will clash in a rematch, possibly in January or February.
Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane was ruled a No Contest after Aspinall could not continue from an eye poke.
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2025
Aspinall retains his heavyweight title. #UFC321 pic.twitter.com/jM2mK1rvdl
Mackenzie Dern too much for Virna Jandiroba
Following a close fight featuring plenty of takedowns and sharp strikes, Mackenzie Dern beat Virna Jandiroba for the second time, this time for UFC strawweight gold.
Dern (16–5) had a lot to overcome, from the nine takedowns Jandiroba (22-4) landed to the takedown defense from her opponent. However, she landed 85 significant strikes (63 for Jandiroba) and massive elbows even while on the floor. Dern won via unanimous decision.
That’s three straight wins for Dern, who was heralded as the next big thing in the UFC early in her career. She’s the first to win the IBJJF world championship, ADCC gold, and a UFC title. With Zhang Weili relinquishing the belt to face Valentina Shevchenko, what’s next for Dern?
THE EMOTIONS FROM MACKENZIE DERN AFTER WINNING THE UFC TITLE 🥹
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2025
Stream #UFC321 on the ESPN App ➡️ https://t.co/K4DaFRKUKc pic.twitter.com/8d7JtWIkTn
Umar Nurmagomedov wants to compete for gold again. He proved why he should once again be the next contender for bantamweight gold after a wrestling clinic against Mario Bautista. Despite being in trouble at certain points, Nurmagomedov inflicted damage on the floor and feet.
Nurmagomedov returned to his winning ways. Merab Dvalishvili competes in December. If he retains the UFC bantamweight title, a Merab-Nurmagomedov rematch could be in early 2026.
Despite multiple takedowns from Jailton Almeida, Alexander Volkov managed to squeak out a win. Volkov, who arguably beat Gane when they fought, landed more strikes against Almeida, who showed no signs of urgency while on the floor.
The 37-year-old Volkov, ranked second in the heavyweight division, is back to being the top contender. He may have to wait to face Aspinall, however.
AllSportsPeople provided results from the entire UFC 321 fight card.
UFC 321 full card results
Main Card
- Tom Aspinall (c) vs. Ciryl Gane ended in a no-contest for the UFC heavyweight title (4:35 into round one)
- Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision for the UFC strawweight title (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
- Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via TKO (3:11 into round round)
Prelims
- Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via KO (2:30 into round one)
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Park Jun-yong via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-28, 28-27, 28-28)
- Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via heel hook (1:24 into round one)
- Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Miguel 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)