UFC 321 ended in the most disappointing way possible.
Saturday’s main event saw Tom Aspinall enter as undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time, with the hopes that a win over Ciryl Gane would signal the start of a dominant title run. Instead, an eye poke from Gane late in the first round brought a pause to the contest, and later a permanent halt when Aspinall said he could no longer see.
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Aspinall had waited over a year to defend his title, with the contender picture not clearing until previous undisputed titleholder Jon Jones announced his retirement in June. Fifteen months after defending his interim belt, Aspinall will now have to wait even longer for a chance to bolster his championship credentials. As for Gane, he said in his interview after the fight that he’s not sure what is next.
The fight world was understandably shaken by the inconclusive clash, with veteran middleweight Derek Brunson writing on social media, “Wow, the fight ended with an eye poke no-contest. The heavyweight division is cursed or what? You cannot hold up a division for no one. F it, put the title up for grabs next week!”
Fighters had a variety of reactions to the UFC 321 finale, check out more below.