UFC 321 was supposed to answer a simple question: who’s next for Alexander Volkov. Instead, the night ended with a sense of unfinished business. The heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane was stopped due to a severe eye poke to the Briton, and the bout was officially ruled a no contest. Fans left with mixed emotions, and the event with no clear resolution.
A Start Under a French Metronome
The opening minutes went Gane’s way. He set the tempo, switched on his signature footwork, circled rather than retreating straight back, and consistently pierced his opponent’s guard with crisp jabs. By the end of the round, Aspinall was bleeding from a busted nose — a sign of how clean and often Gane was landing at range.
Where's the Wrestling, Tom?
The surprise was that Aspinall hardly looked for takedowns. One lazy attempt — and even that fizzled out. The Briton started aggressively with his usual blitzes, but by the end of the opening five minutes he slowed and waited more than he acted. Gane read the entries and, with disciplined positioning, kept things under control — meeting and breaking the champion’s rhythm with the jab and lateral steps.
A Foul on the Turn
Half a minute before the horn, the moment came that wiped out the intrigue. Gane fired a left body kick and, to smother any counters, extended his hand to maintain distance. In motion, two of his fingers went straight into Aspinall’s eyes. It looked brutal: the Briton immediately grabbed his face and could no longer see.
The Rulebook Says: No Contest
Referee Jason Herzog granted the injured fighter the allotted five minutes to recover. Tom spent the entire time trying to clear his eye, but couldn’t open it without using his fingers — there was no way to continue. The referee ruled the incident an unintentional foul and, with the recovery window expired, the fight was declared a no contest. The belt stayed with its holder, and the event ended without a winner in the main event.
A Hot Mic and a Cool Crowd
The crowd responded with boos — whether aimed at the decision or at Aspinall. In reply, Tom delivered an emotional explanation that he “got a finger deep in the eye” and simply couldn’t continue. Gane, by contrast, apologized to his opponent and the fans, stressing that he had put a lot into this camp and was deeply disappointed himself. Even so, on the footage the hand motion looked overly accentuated — technically savvy but right on the dangerous edge.
What Fighters Said on Both Sides of the Screen
Colleagues’ reactions ranged from bewilderment to sympathy. Terrance McKinney lamented that “it shouldn’t end like this.” Belal Muhammad said he’d been through the same — “the worst feeling.” Arnold Allen noted that a double contact is especially brutal for Tom. Derek Brunson wondered if “heavyweight is cursed.” And Corey Anderson thought the finger “skimmed more than it went in to the knuckle.” There’s no consensus, but one fact remains: the spectacle broke at the most compelling moment.
Promotional Aftermath: A Rematch and Volkov's Plan on Hold
UFC president Dana White has already announced an immediate Aspinall — Gane rematch as soon as Tom recovers. Which means a potential title shot for Volkov is postponed. How long depends on medical clearance and scheduling. The irony is that the very precision at range Gane is known for worked against the night: officially an accident, essentially a technical detail with maximum consequences for the bracket.
Analytical Timeout: What the Rematch Could Change
Looking inside those five minutes, Gane managed to impose his game: footwork, jab, disciplined angles. But Aspinall had unused cards — pressure in combinations and the wrestling that was almost absent tonight. In the rematch, the Briton will need to claim the center sooner and force the Frenchman into turns along the fence, where clinch and takedown windows open. Gane must keep the distance clean without risky open-hand “posts” and blend body kicks with more right-hand counters.
No Finale — Only a Pause
UFC 321 didn’t give an answer, but it did frame the questions. Was the incident an inevitable product of speed and timing, or could it have been avoided? How will that awareness — that a single careless gesture can derail an entire career trajectory — affect the psychology of the second fight? For now, one thing is clear: the rematch isn’t just logical; it’s necessary. It has to put a full stop where yesterday there was a comma — and only then can we return to talk of Volkov’s title plans.
