Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane are poised for a high-stakes heavyweight clash at UFC 321, where Gane will seek his third attempt to claim the undisputed heavyweight title. The historic first event will begin at the Etihad Arena with an action-packed 13-fight card. Everything begins with the centerpiece event at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT.
Ciryl Gane aims to overcome previous setbacks, having faced Jon Jones at UFC 285 and Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, both resulting in defeats. In professional MMA, Gane has a record of 13-2. This go ’round, though, he knows he must present a whole other performance.
Tom Aspinall was recently crowned the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He certainly has the resume to back up the bravado, as he owns a stunning record of 15-3. Aspinall said aside from the pressure that usually comes with championship fights, there was not a lot of difference in the fight week experience, though.
“I am happy to let the fight play out completely organically,” – Tom Aspinall
While Aspinall is all cool and collected, Gane has been looking to come out and make a statement. Gane acknowledged Aspinall’s skills, stating, “Everybody knows the strengths of Tom Aspinall.” It’s this mutual respect that lays the groundwork for what should be an exhilarating matchup.
In addition to the heavyweight showdown, UFC 321 features a key strawweight rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba. Dern had already bested their initial meeting by unanimous decision back in December 2020. Jandiroba is hopeful that in a rematch, she has the tools to flip the script and come out on top.
“It’s possible for me to beat her because I’ve done it once,” – Mackenzie Dern
Warm up for an electric competition! Umar Nurmagomedov will face Mario Bautista in an interesting matchup that further increases the excitement of an already loaded card.
The race to UFC 321, and even beyond, already has fans fired up with delight at these potential pairings. The heavy hitters are about to go to battle. Both Aspinall and Gane are hungry up-and-comers, fully focused on making a name for themselves in the octagon.
