Dana White has said he will book a rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane following the conclusion of UFC 321.
Aspinall made his first undisputed heavyweight title defence against Gane in the main event of the Abu Dhabi card on Saturday night, but was left devastated when his fight was stopped in the first round.
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Aspinall vs Gane was shaping up to be a blockbuster fight until the latter hit the champion with a deadly eyepokeCredit: AFP
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Aspinall was bleeding heavily from the nose just before it happenedCredit: AFP
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The fight was stopped with 25 seconds left in the first round, as Aspinall couldn’t see out of one eyeCredit: AFP
Both men had made an energetic start, but proceedings came to a halt when Gane went for a kick and two of his fingers punctured Aspinall’s eyes.
Aspinall was allowed time to recover, but after telling the UFC‘s doctor and referee that he could no longer see out of one eye, the bout was stopped and ruled a no-contest.
The 32-year-old from Wigan was sent to the hospital immediately upon leaving the Octagon at Etihad Arena, while Gane was on his haunches in tears.
Several MMA fans believed the next move was to make a rematch between the pair, and UFC CEO White has now revealed that will be the case.
Dana White will look to make Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane 2 after dramatic UFC 321 fight
“I feel the way everybody feels – great showing, s***** ending,” White said at UFC 321’s post-fight press conference.
“After the [Jon] Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Ciryl Gane off, [but] he looked damn good tonight.
“It looked like we were in for a few rounds, and it was going to be a good fight.
When asked if he would like to rebook the fight as soon as Aspinall is fit again, White responded: “Yeah, total pain in the a**, but yes.”
He later added: “I’m sure in [Gane’s] camp, he was training like an animal for this fight.
“It’s unfortunate that it ended the way that it did, and yes, I think that there will probably be a lot more interest in the rematch after they saw [this fight].
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Replays showed how brutal the eye poke really wasCredit: TNT Sports
“[Gane] had Tom bloodied up, and Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight, so a rematch is very interesting.”
Gane was entering his third undisputed heavyweight title fight at UFC 321, having previously lost to Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.
White was correct when he asserted the majority of the MMA world had written him off when making their predictions for the fight.
The Frenchman’s stock will no doubt rise following his solid performance in the main event bout.
Aspinall, meanwhile, faces significant adversity for only the second time in his UFC career.
The Englishman’s only UFC defeat ended horrifically, as he tore his MCL and meniscus 15 seconds into a London main event with Curtis Blaydes in July 2022.
UFC 321 Main Card Results
Stalemate main event
Tom Aspinall (c) vs Ciryl Gane – no contestMackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba, Decision (unanimous)Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista, Decision (unanimous)Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida, Decision (split)Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic, KO (punches)
But, just like many will expect following UFC 321, Aspinall bounced back emphatically to become an interim UFC champion and eventually undisputed king when Jones retired.
He will hopefully have recovered by the New Year and be part of one of the UFC’s first numbered fights in their new $7.7 billion broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount.