Aspinall vs. Gaines weigh-in reveals size advantage while UFC 321 star almost misses out

Tom Aspinall to 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) heavy Cyril Gane Ahead of ufc 321, as Briton Preparations to defend heavyweight title in Abu Dhabi,

When Aspinall faces Gane in Saturday’s main eventhe will be First defense of the undisputed beltWhen Jon Jones retired this summer he was elevated to interim champion.

Meanwhile, France’s Gane is challenging for the undisputed title for the third time, having previously held the interim title but has lost two undisputed bouts – against Francis Ngannou in 2022 and Jones in 2023.

And before Saturday’s headline bout, Aspinall weighed in at 255 pounds on Friday, with Gane weighing in at 247.5 pounds.

Aspinall, 32, weighing 4lb heavier than his previous fight, set up a rematch with Curtis Blaydes in July 2024, which the Wigan heavyweight won with a knockout in 60 seconds. With that win in Manchester, Aspinall retained the interim belt after making the rare decision to defend it.

Meanwhile, Gane was 2 pounds heavier than at his last weigh-in, which was before his controversial split-decision victory over Alexander Volkov in December. Earlier, the 35-year-old Gane had defeated Volkov by unanimous decision in 2021.

Also during Friday’s weigh-in, a local favorite Omar Nurmagomedov — cousin of UFC legend Khabib — almost missed, weighing in initially at 136.5 pounds. This was 0.5 pounds over the bantamweight limit, but a second reading was quickly given, declaring the Russian’s weight at 136 pounds.

Nurmagomedov, who narrowly lost a title fight with champion Merab Davlishvili in January, will face Mario Bautista on Saturday.

Additionally, Azat Maksum weighed in at 129 pounds – 3 pounds over the flyweight limit. As a result, he will be fined 30 percent of his purse from his fight with Mitch Raposo, which will still go ahead.

Ahead, British featherweight Nathaniel Wood He was under the 146-pound limit before his opponent Jose Miguel Delgado moved up to 147 pounds. Their fight is expected to go ahead, although Delgado, like Maxum, could be fined a percentage of his purse.