Aspinall attempts to shut out noise ahead of Gane bout at UFC 321

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Abu Dhabi stages UFC 321 with Tom Aspinall shaking disconnected the unit up of heavyweight defence against Ciryl Gane.

Published On 24 Oct 2025

The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for a title doubleheader connected Saturday to header UFC 321. In the main event, Tom Aspinall makes the archetypal defence of his UFC heavyweight rubric against erstwhile interim champion Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall (15-3 MMA) was promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion this summertime aft Jon Jones (28-1, 1 NC MMA) abruptly retired amid negotiations for an Aspinall combat falling through, and eventual dropped charges from a February car crash, according to ESPN.

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Aspinall, a Salford, England, native, told reporters connected Thursday that helium feels nary unit entering the combat with Gane (13-2 MMA) arsenic helium tries to constitute his ain communicative and physique his bequest astatine heavyweight.

“I americium blessed to fto the combat play retired wholly organically,” Aspinall said. “Whatever comes available, I volition instrumentality it, and I volition effort my champion to get the finish.”

Gane gets his 3rd ace astatine winning the undisputed heavyweight rubric aft failed attempts against Jones astatine UFC 285 and erstwhile UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (18-3 MMA) astatine UFC 270. Recognising it could beryllium his past opportunity, the 35-year-old Frenchman promises a acold antithetic showing travel combat night.

“Everybody knows the strengths of Tom Aspinall,” Gane said. “But everybody knows my strengths, truthful we volition spot this Saturday who’s going to negociate to bash good successful this situation.”

The coheadliner delivers a rematch for the vacant UFC strawweight rubric arsenic Virna Jandiroba runs it backmost against Mackenzie Dern. The combat was booked aft the promotion opted to yet marque a ace combat betwixt Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1 MMA) and Weili Zhang (26-3 MMA) for Shevchenko’s flyweight title, which is acceptable to instrumentality spot adjacent period astatine Madison Square Garden arsenic portion of UFC 322.

Both Brazilians accidental they are excited to look each other, knowing the stakes person been raised with a rubric connected the line. Dern (15-5 MMA) won the archetypal combat against Jandiroba (22-3 MMA) by unanimous determination successful December 2020. Neither has owned a UFC rubric belt.

“It’s imaginable for maine to bushed her due to the fact that I’ve done it once,” Dern said. “We’re wholly antithetic fighters nowadays. She went connected this astonishing triumph streak aft I broke my nose. So, I went done adversity successful that combat and came (out) strong, truthful that’s conscionable benignant of what I took (from) not conscionable that fight, but to each my fights aft that, conscionable to spot what you tin get done and support pulling through.”

Jandiroba says she learned a batch from her archetypal combat with Dern and called it “part of her history,” portion acknowledging that opportunities for redemption don’t travel astir often.

“It’s a rematch I’ve wanted to bash for a agelong time,” Jandiroba said done a translator. “It’s the cherry connected the cake, I get to avenge that combat for the title. And I asked the beingness and helium gave maine the champion imaginable (opportunity).”

Without offering a prediction, Jandiroba is assured the rematch volition spell differently.

“The biggest acquisition is to judge successful yourself,” Jandiroba said.

The lawsuit features a 13-fight card, with the five-fight main paper commencing astatine 2pm ET/11am PT from Etihad Arena.

Below is the moving bout order, which is taxable to change.