Having won the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 259, the mixed martial arts career of Tom Aspinall took off. However, the interim title is in place to keep the heavyweight division moving until the champion can compete. In Aspinall’s case, it has lasted for longer than any interim heavyweight title reign in the history of UFC and it took a further development at UFC 231.
No Contest
When Aspinall met Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25th, many onlookers were predicting the fight to end in the first round. Many UFC fans would have bet on the contest being over quickly and those in the know would have used a bet99 promo code to claim a first bet encore. Anyone who predicted a first round stoppage was correct but the outcome was not what anyone wanted.
The fight ended in the first round thanks to an accidental eye poke that stopped Aspinall from continuing. The earlier card had been great to watch and Aspinall having to withdraw from the fight due to injury resulted in boos from the crowd as a no contest was declared. The injury was serious and Aspinall required further tests on the eye having been unable to see following the accidental poke from Gane.
Speaking at the post-fight news conference, UFC president Dana White was obviously disappointed with what happened, but a rematch is already on the cards. "Gane had Tom bloodied up and Tom didn't want to continue in the fight. So a rematch is very interesting,” he said.
Huge Frustration
Aspinall spent a total of 19 months as the interim heavyweight title holder. The Englishman was waiting for an undisputed fight with champion Jon Jones. However, the fight never materialised and Jones retired, meaning Aspinall was upgraded. It was not the way Aspinall wanted to become champion, but it was out of his control, and the next step was to take on a strong opponent that would electrify the heavyweight division.
That certainly seemed the case in the early stages of the fight against Gane. It appeared the Frenchman was going to test Aspinall like no one else had been able to in UFC. Aspinall took blows to the leg and blood started pouring from his nose before the eye poke incident. Everything was set up for a fantastic fight, and it all came crashing down.
The Future
So, what next for Aspinall as his time as UFC heavyweight champion took another disappointing turn? The main events have already been announced for UFC 323, which takes place in December. That leaves UFC 324 as the next potential date for a rematch between Aspinall and Gane. UFC 324 could happen in January and Aspinall will be keen for the contest to take place at that event.
The eye injury is not the first disappointment for Aspinall in his UFC career following a knee injury in 2022. Aspinall came back from that injury and produced the best form of his career and he will be hoping for more of the same in 2026. Both Aspinall’s career and the UFC heavyweight division have stalled in recent years, and he will be hoping to go from disaster to triumph at UFC 324.
For more sports coverage, check out Chat Sports on YouTube!
Back to the MMA Newsfeed