Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane were delivering an exciting first round in the main event of UFC 321, with Gane attempting to take the heavyweight championship from around Aspinall’s waist. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated main event came to a halt after Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes, leaving the champion unable to continue and ending the fight in a no contest.

The fight started in the way fans were hoping, with both Aspinall and Gane sitting down on heavy strikes and doing damage. Gane’s jab proved an effective weapon throughout the frame, bloodying Aspinall’s nose while Aspinall returned with heavy leg kicks and clean punches of his own.

Unfortunately, in the late stages of the round, Gane reached out with an open hand as he threw a kick, and he poked Aspinall in both of his eyes.

The fight was halted to give Aspinall an opportunity to recover, but it was immediately clear that Aspinall’s eye was significantly compromised.

Aspinall repeatedly told referee Jason Herzog and the cageside doctor that he couldn’t see out of his right eye. While Herzog gave Aspinall several minutes to attempt to clear his vision, Aspinall repeatedly said he couldn’t see, ending the bout in a no contest at the 4:35 mark of Round 1.

It’s a disappointing result, with Gane getting off to a fantastic start in his third bid to become champion and Aspinall returning fire in his first defense as UFC champion. However, safety comes first for the fighters, though the crowd was not happy and booed Aspinall for not continuing to fight.

“Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball,” Aspinall said after the fight. “What the f— are you booing? I didn’t do the poke. … This is bullshit, the fight was just getting going, complete bullshit. I’m pissed off.”

Gane was emotional and frustrated with the situation, though he did seem to take responsibility for the eye poke.

“I feel sorry at first, I’m very sorry for the fans,” Gane said. “I’m sorry for Tom Aspinall. I’m sorry for myself. We put a lot of energy into this fight, and I’m disappointed, but this is the sport.”

Plus, Umar Nurmagomedov may not have put together the dominant showing that UFC CEO Dana White wanted, but he did pick up an important win over Mario Bautista. Nurmagomedov had to navigate some troubled waters with Bautista attempting a deep submission early and then leading a big knee late. But the prodigy of cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov did just that in a unanimous decision in which he swept the judges’ scorecards. He likely awaits the winner of champion Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan after they meet in December.

CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way Saturday with the live results and highlights below.

UFC 321 fight card, resultsTom Aspinall (c) vs. Ciryl Gane ends in no contest after unintentional eye pokeMackenzie Dern (c) def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via first-round TKO (punches)Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via first-round knockout (head kick)Ikram Aliskerov def. Jun Yong Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-28, 28-27, 28-28)Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via first-round submission (heel hook)Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)Mitch Raposo def Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)Mizuki def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)