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If you need proof of the terrifying supernaturalism of the MMA world, ufc The key event of 321 provided that proof. Some fans are asking questions to a fighter- Whose eyes were gouged out simultaneously – To have his right eye twitch more than his left eye, even if it was the left eye One of his fingers was stuck in till the knuckles“What does it say?” They suggest from his tweets, punctuating his skepticism with massive emojis of yellow cartoon hands raised against a yellow cartoon chin. Perhaps a better question is “what does this say” about these fans?
In the span of 10 minutes on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, the palpable tension turned to growing anxiety and then to an extreme, painful deflation, as Cyril Ganehit the double eye of Tom Aspinall left britain unable to continue fighting In the main event of UFC 321. The British champion, the great hope of heavyweight MMA, could not continue His first defense of the undisputed heavyweight title,
With this, he was unable to end a 23-month saga in which he won the interim belt, defended it in a rare and successful move, and Get stuck with an evasive (and eventually retired) Jon JonesNor was he able to successfully end a 15-month absence from the cage. In the end, there was no closure to that torturous saga; It simply entered a new phase.
With barely 30 seconds left in the first round of a tense, competitive bout – in which Gane admitted he looked half a step ahead of the Wigan fighter – Aspinall suffered an accidental foul, resulting in a no contest. The fight ended, and the MMA world was consumed by burning questions and, in many cases, sheer stupidity.
We’ll get to the main question, but the absurdity lies in a section of the fan base suggesting that Aspinall “quit”, wanting a way out “after realizing he would lose”. Yes, his French challenger denied a takedown, left Aspinall’s nose bleeding, and gained a slight edge on strikes (30-27). But, assuming there was no finish in the remaining 25 seconds of the round, the adjustment from both fighters would have been interesting.
It’s as if some fans, accustomed to watching Aspinall obliterate opponents in an average of two minutes, went into hysteria at first sight of the 32-year-old failing to land an early knockout shot, takedown or submission for a long period of time. For those fans, Aspinall was highlighted by his bloody nose, some counter-attacks and a failed takedown.
To those fans, Aspinall lost the nickname of the “Baddest Man on the Planet” by refusing to continue, with UFC President Dana White escalating the movement by suggesting that the Briton “did not want” to continue. Of course, Aspinall now has two fights left on his current UFC contract, one of which will likely be a rematch with Gane.
The fact is that if Aspinall could not see properly he should not have proceeded; Financially and beyond, the stakes were very high. Slow-motion replays showed two of Gane’s fingers entering Aspinall’s eyes, one of them piercing so far that his middle knuckle was its first visible component.
Aspinall looked hurt and compromised, and made the right decision to call off the fight. Anything else would have been unwise and potentially disastrous.
So then, the main question is, when will we see Aspinall vs. Gane 2 (which will feel more like Aspinall vs. Gane 1, Take 2)?
In the post-fight press conference at the Etihad Arena, White suggested that a rematch would be booked as soon as possible. First major event of 2026, As UFC debuts on Paramount+ in the USThe first would be a realistic opportunity, yet lightweight champion Ilya Topuria appears to be the leading candidate to headline that show, while featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski has been late to the fight.
Before Saturday, the next visits of Topuria and Volkanovski would certainly have been prioritized in the context of the 2026 schedule; Volkanovski shouldn’t be forced to wait until March, as the last fight took place in April, and Topuria – from a business standpoint – should usher in the UFC’s new era.
Then, Aspinall and Gane may have to wait until March for their rematch, even if (at the time of writing) both fighters are in shape and healthy – the extent of the injury is the obvious asterisk over Aspinall’s eyes. If the damage is largely superficial, the 32-year-old could be ready to return by December, but the headline bout on the last major UFC card of the year has already happened.
A wise move would be to double-stack the first big card of 2026, and pair Aspinall vs. Gane 2 with the return of Topuria, but this seems unlikely; The UFC is increasingly expanding its highest-profile names, and it would have to break its rule of higher weight classes being placed above lower weight classes, with Topuria certainly main eventing such a card.
Another interesting impact of UFC 321 relates to sponsors, and how Aspinall-affiliated brands adapt any post-fight plans, launches, etc. following unexpected events in Abu Dhabi.
All this chaos keeps Aspinall relatively calm even during fight week.
Seemingly he had prepared thoroughly for a decisive fight, he and his tight-knit team largely stayed away from Yas Island and downtown Abu Dhabi, choosing to stay at the more remote, five-star Saadiyat Rotana Hotel rather than the Yas Hilton, which was packed with fighters, UFC staff and eager fans.
Independent Aspinall witnessed firsthand the surroundings in the days leading up to the fight: his team’s work with Rotana to intricately organize transportation, nutrition, massages and more, and the endless expanse of ocean just a short distance from the fighter’s residence.
While Saturday’s main event did not deliver the typical MMA exhibition that fans were expecting, Aspinall treated the occasion like an elite athlete. The Briton – by his own admission – is afraid before a fight, and although he weaponises these nerves to devastating effect, his fight-week planning was aimed at diverting attention and focusing on the simplest matters.
at one point, Independent Mentioned a clip of Aspinall eating frozen yogurt and staring off into the distance at the beginning of fight week. “There have been a lot of blank spots this week,” he admitted. There may be more to come in the coming days and weeks.