Tom Aspinall didn’t have a chance to put Khabib Nurmagomedov’s good advice to use earlier today (Sat., Oct. 25, 2025) at UFC 321 LIVE on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, seeing his main event clash with Ciryl Gane go up in flames due to an eye poke (see it HERE).
UFC 321’s main event was Aspinall’s chance to prove once again that he’s the best heavyweight in the world. Aspinall was matched up against former title challenger, Gane, who looked to be in the best shape of his life. The champion was a considerable betting favorite to retain his belt, but it was still a dangerous fight against a proven contender like Gane.
Before his clash with Gane, Aspinall crossed paths backstage with former UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov was there to coach UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov, who won his clash with Mario Bautista on UFC 321’s main card. Aspinall and Khabib started talking strategy and “Eagle” decided to drop some knowledge. The UFC legend instructed Aspinall to use all his skills to attack Gane and basically overwhelm him.
Check out the exchange below:
“Use everything together – wrestling, pressure, boxing, everything. Because [Gane] don’t have this ability… When you use your punches and then takedown, it’s gonna be tough for him,“ said Nurmagomedov.
Unfortunately for all parties involved, Aspinall vs. Gane ended with a disastrous double eye poke. Aspinall barely got a few minutes to work and try to implement some of things Khabib was talking about. He’ll have to wait even longer to showcase his complete skill set whenever UFC matchmakers decide to rebook his fight with Gane.
For complete UFC 321 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.