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Dana White has said that while it is a “total pain in the ass”, he will look to rearrange Tom Aspinall’s UFC heavyweight title defence against Ciryl Gane.
The Briton returned to the Octagon after 15 months away to fight the Frenchman at a sold-out Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi for UFC 321, but the bout was ruled a no-contest.
That was due to an accidental double-eye poke from Gane, which blurred and hindered Aspinall’s vision so much that the 32-year-old was unable to see, which he told the referee twice.
Both fighters were distraught at the premature ending, which came just after the fourth minute of the first round, where Gane had had the better of proceedings, bloodying the champion’s face and defending well against takedown attempts.
Aspinall was looking to land heavy blows off both wings and his kicks on his return, but it was not the comeback that he, nor any fight fan wanted to see, and the Abu Dhabi crowd booed the decision as it was confirmed by Bruce Buffer.
Aspinall launched into a verbal attack on the booing supporters - who had so warmly welcomed him back during his walk to the cage - arguing that none of it was his own doing.
Speaking afterwards, UFC president Dana White, who confirmed back in June that Aspinall had been promoted to undisputed champion, confirmed that a rematch would be arranged as soon as possible.
“Yes,” he responded. “Total pain in the ass, but yes [we will rearrange the fight].”
On the fight itself, White said that Gane, the No1 challenger for the heavyweight belt, had proven that he was still a worthy competitor for the championship.
“Great showing, s***** ending,” he continued.
“After the [Jon] Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Cyril Gane off. He looked damn good tonight. It looked like we were in for a few rounds and a good fight.”
Gane was defeated by the now-retired ‘Bones’ back at UFC 285, with a first-round submission in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jones’ retirement back in June was the catalyst for Aspinall’s promotion from interim to undisputed heavyweight champion, after the Salford star had been chasing a unifying fight with the veteran for months.
Giving an update on Aspinall’s medical condition, White responded that the Briton was en route to hospital.
