Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Tom Aspinall will make his first undisputed heavyweight title defence against France’s Ciryl Gane in the headline bout of UFC 321, set to take place on October 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
“This is what I’ve worked for my entire life. To fight someone like Ciryl Gane, to be the undisputed champion, to defend my belt on a huge card in Abu Dhabi,” Aspinall told MMA Fighting after the announcement. According to Aspinall, this is a fight destined and finally happening after four rounds of stalling. The Manchester-born champion (15-3) returns to the Octagon riding a wave of momentum, which started when Gane avoided him at the start.
“Me and Ciryl Gane finally signed on the dotted line. This is the fourth time we’ve been matched up together. He turned me down for a fight early on, before we were in the rankings,” Aspinall said.
He reminded that after he had called out the winner of Gane vs. Serghei Spivac in 2023, but “Ciryl turned down the fight on a second occasion”.
Aspinall claimed the interim title with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, followed by a dominant defence against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. A unification bout with Jon Jones appeared inevitable, but the long-reigning champion chose to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, and then retired, prompting the UFC to elevate Aspinall to undisputed champion status.
Fighting out of Paris, the former interim titleholder Gane (13-2) is revered for his movement, timing and high-level striking. With victories over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Volkov on his résumé, the Frenchman now eyes a second shot at undisputed gold – and redemption – in his first bout for the year.
UFC 321, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), underscores the emirate’s growing status as an elite MMA destination. Previous events hosted in the city include Khabib Nurmagomedov’s triumphant UFC 242 title defence and last year’s memorable clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308. Tickets for UFC 321 will go on sale at 1pm local time on Friday via the www.ticketmaster.ae website. Premium VIP Experience packages will also be available through UFC’s official VIP partner, On Location, offering behind-the-scenes access, hospitality, and fighter meet-and-greets.
Additional bouts on the card include:
● Aleksandar Rakic (14-5, fighting out of Vienna, Austria) will take on undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (15-0, fighting out of New Jersey, USA) in a light heavyweight matchup.
● Two heavyweight contenders face off as Alexander Volkov (38-11, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) takes on Jailton Almeida (22-3, fighting out of Salvador, Brazil).
● Azat Maksum (15-2, fighting out of Kaskelen, Kazakhstan) faces Mitch Raposo (9-3, fighting out of Massachusetts, USA), who looks to get back in the win column, in a flyweight fight.
● Ikram Aliskerov (16-2, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) takes on vs JunYong Park (19-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) in what promises to be a thrilling middleweight fight.
● Hamdy Abdelwahab (4-1, fighting out of New York, USA, by way of Egypt) faces off against Chris Barnett (23-9, fighting out of Florida, USA) in a heavyweight bout.
