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UFC 321 LIVE!
Tom Aspinall was all set to make his heavily-anticipated return to the Octagon after 15 months away as he faced Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, but the bout was called off after just four minutes of the first round. An accidental double-eye poke from Gane forced Aspinall into a medical timeout, where he twice told the referee that he couldn’t see. Doctors Octagon-side decided that the fight should be ended, and the referee declared a no contest, much to the annoyance of the Abu Dhabi crowd.
Aspinall was looking to defend his heavyweight title for the very first time since being promoted to undisputed champion after Jon Jones, who he had pursued for months to try and unify the two championship belts, retired back in June. That left the Briton, finally, in the position where he wanted to be, but that was swiftly nullified on Saturday night when injury stopped his return prematurely.
Elsewhere on the card, Mackenzie Dern won the vacant UFC strawweight title against the top-ranked Virna Jandiroba, while England’s Nathaniel Wood secured a huge victory in the prelims. His compatriot Louie Sutherland, making his UFC debut, was submitted in the first round.
UFC 321 latest news
- No contest! Aspinall eye injury causes early ending
- Dern becomes UFC strawweight champion
- Volkov beats Almeida by split decision
- Murzakanov opens main card with stunning TKO
- Englishman Wood wins by unanimous decision
White issues Aspinall vs Gane rematch update
23:08 , Oli GentDana White has spoken on a potential rearrangement for this fight.
Will they get it sorted?
'What the f*** are you doing?' - Aspinall
22:37 , Oli GentThe Briton launched into a tirade of expletives aimed at the Abu Dhabi crowd, who booed the decision to end the fight early.
Aspinall's UFC return ends prematurely after accidental Gane poke
22:35 , Oli GentTom Aspinall’s return to the UFC after over a year away did not end as anyone hoped it would.
That's all, folks!
22:16 , Oli GentWell, that was anticlimactic!
A disappointment, but the positive is that we’ll get that again before too long.
Let’s hope Aspinall makes a speedy recovery.
Thanks for joining us on Standard Sport, be sure to come back very soon for even more LIVE UFC action!
It's off!
21:55 , Oli Gent“I can’t f****** see, mate!” Aspinall tells the referee, who calls a no contest!
Ciryl Gane is furious!
Time out!
21:52 , Oli GentAspinall is having real trouble as the doctor gives him a cloth to help his eyes after those pokes. He has five minutes from the referee. He’s saying “I can’t see”!
Aspinall vs Gane: Round 1
21:51 , Oli GentHere we go!
Aspinall in that trademark crouched starting stance.
The Briton looks to let his hands go early, going on the offensive. Gane throws a nice left, with Aspinall pressing with a one-two and a high kick upstairs.
Gane is looking to get into Aspinall’s face, and the champ looks for the takedown, which is defended well by the Frenchman, who has bloodied Aspinall’s nose already.
Heavy leg kick from Aspinall as the clock hits one minute remaining. Gane felt that.
Time is called as Aspinall gets a poke in both eyes...
The intros!
21:45 , Oli GentA ripple of boos as Gane is introduced. Aspinall gets a rapturous ovation.
Tale of the tape
21:43 , Oli Gent32-year-old Aspinall is an inch taller than 35-year-old Gane.
Aspinall weighed in at 255lbs, while the Frenchman comes in at 247.5lbs. Gane has the longer reach at 81” to 78”.
Aspinall on his way!
21:39 , Oli GentThe lights go down, and ‘Supersonic’ blares. Manchester taking over.
Here they come!
21:38 , Oli GentCyril Gane has made his way to the Octagon... but has he forgotten his groin guard? It appears so...
Paddy Pimblett exclusive
21:33 , Oli GentAnother man that was supposed to fight on this card was maverick Scouser Paddy Pimblett.
Standard Sport’s Oli Gent sat down with ‘The Baddy’, who opened up on his struggles with his mental health.
Dern becomes strawweight champion!
21:26 , Oli GentA massive win for Mackenzie Dern! She’s in tears as Dana White puts the belt on her.
“It feels amazing,” she says.
Dern vs Jandiroba: Round 5
21:23 , Oli GentLast round!
300 seconds to decide the UFC strawweight championship.
Jandiroba is looking battered and bruised as she gets off the stool. Dern has a blackened eye as well, but is still looking lively.
The No5 is really letting her hands go, and Jandiroba is looking for the takedowns once more. That could be her only way to victory.
Virna goes for the spinning elbow, but misses going into the final 30 seconds. Dern lines up a hammer fist but fails, and the pair finish on the ground.
Who has won that?
Dern vs Jandiroba: Round 4
21:17 , Oli GentInto the championship rounds.
Dern has seemingly given up on those leg kicks that were doing so well for her in the early moments.
A good right hand from the No5, and a decent body kick to follow. Jandiroba responds with a nice counter left of her own, but Dern is doing better now, up on her feet and taking the fight to her top-ranked opponent.
She’s gone for the clinch and double-leg hold there when she really shouldn’t have, with Virna getting a breather on the cage.
A swiping left from Virna has Dern ducking, and a big right lands flush. A nice kick and jab combo from Dern follows.
Jandiroba is slowing down big time, but that’s a nice double-leg from the No1. Virna doesn’t engage with the grapple, but Dern doesn’t get up, looking to invite the ground exchange which doesn’t suit her!
One more round.
Dern vs Jandiroba: Round 3
21:10 , Oli GentJandiroba’s corner want her to stay on her feet a bit more and trust her striking.
She’s ignored that, taking Dern down once more, looking for the taps from above.
That said, they’re up on feet again and Dern’s got a black eye that she has to deal with.
Dern needs to get back to her feet in the dying embers of the third, so the judges can see that she’s still the aggressor! A good round for Virna.
Dern vs Jandiroba: Round 2
21:04 , Oli GentDern is having the better of the striking, but Virna is cottoning on that she is having the better of the ground exchanges.
A heavy takedown and roll combination does nicely for the No1, as Dern looks for the elbows from beneath.
A couple more big swings from Dern, but she misses wildly. She’s beginning to breathe a bit more deeply now.
Dern vs Jandiroba: Round 1
20:58 , Oli GentHere we go!
A nice leg kick from Dern off the bat. She looks for the quick combinations, trying to show some early aggression.
A nice counter-kick from Jandiroba, which has Dern hop back a tad.
Dern, ranked No5, is looking crisp with her hand movement, getting in and out quickly.
Jandiroba takes her down, however, and they’re tight to the edge of the cage.
The horn goes, and that’ll be first blood to Dern!
An all-Brazilian affair
20:51 , Oli GentNot much to separate these two, but Jandiroba is five years senior.
Weight-wise, they both came in at 115lbs.
Dern is 5’4”, Jandiroba is 5’3”, while Jandiroba, the No1-ranked, has the longer reach by just one inch.
Time for the co-main!
20:44 , Oli GentIt’s a strawweight title clash as Mackenzie Dern takes on Virna Jandiroba.
This should be huge!
Nurmagomedov by decision!
20:34 , Oli GentA unanimous decision victory for the Russian, who strengthens his case for the bantamweight title.
Nurmagomedov vs Bautista: Round 3
20:32 , Oli GentIt’s relentless from Nurmagomedov, who has landed 10 takedowns now in this fight.
The No2 has had it all his own way in this one, controlling things on the ground, and he raises his arms as the horn goes!
Bautista goes the full 15, but it’s unlikely that he’s done enough, even after a couple of hail marys towards the end.
Nurmagomedov vs Bautista: Round 2
20:26 , Oli GentA big knee from Bautista, beautifully timed, but Umar responds with a big takedown. He is relentless when faced with adversity of any kind.
The Russian has got Bautista’s back, and we’re back in the body triangle.
The American does a great job at backing onto the cage and moving out, able to get back onto his feet.
Bautista goes for another kick, but Umar goes for the counter takedown and succeeds, and is back on top of his opponent.
We’re through two, and Bautista grabs the top of the cage in sheer exhaustion.
Nurmagomedov vs Bautista: Round 1
20:19 , Oli GentBautista throws a body kick early as Nurmagomedov immediately lands the takedown.
To the edge of the Octagon they go, and it’s another huge slam to the ground by the Russian.
Bautista is really cranking on the toe hold, but Nurmagomedov keeps going on the top. He’s out now, looking to control the exchange on the ground.
Umar lands a big elbow, and takes the American’s back.
Nurmagomedov has him in the body triangle, and Bautista needs to see this out until the horn.
A great start for the Russian, who’s had over four minutes of ground control time.
Next up! Nurmagomedov vs Bautista
20:12 , Oli GentA very intriguing encounter tonight as No2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, takes on Mario Bautista in the bantamweight division.
How will this go down?
Volkov calls out Aspinall!
20:02 , Oli GentVolkov says he wants a title shot, with all eyes on Aspinall!
Volkov takes it!
20:00 , Oli GentBy split decision, the Russian has it!
He really had to dig deep in his weakest discipline, and he wins it 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29!
Volkov vs Almeida: Round 3
19:59 , Oli GentVolkov looking for the single-leg takedown as he pins Almeida against the cage. He’s looking to drive his knees into his opponent and do damage in the clinch, but Almeida flips him, springing into the takedown.
The Brazilian isn’t throwing punches, however, and risks the referee standing him up.
Volkov goes for the triangle choke, but realises that he’s up against an elite grappler and lays off.
Almeida feels he did enough for a victory and raises his arms as the horn goes, with some boos coming from the crowd!
Not the prettiest of watches. Let’s see what the judges think.
Volkov vs Almeida: Round 2
19:53 , Oli GentAnother exchange on the ground, with Almeida taking the initiative now on the big man.
The Brazilian is lethal with his takedowns, succeeding in four of his five attempts so far this round.
Volkov holds on as Almeida looks for the submission.
Time for the third.
Volkov vs Almeida: Round 1
19:47 , Oli GentIt’s been all Volkov in this first round. Plenty of early pressure, and he’s doing very well on the ground, even with that being Almeida’s strong suit.
Some heavy elbows coming in from the Russian as the horn goes.
Up next! Volkov vs Almeida
19:38 , Oli GentAlexander Volkov takes to the Octagon next, facing Jailton Almeida in the heavyweight division.
The No2-ranked heavyweight contender, the Russian is 38-11 in his career, and lost by split decision to Cyril Gane in his last outing.
As for Almeida, he’s 22-3.
How will this one go?
Murzakanov takes it!
19:28 , Oli GentThe Russian with the biggest win of his career, finishing a top 10 fighter for the first time!
He’s emotional on the mic, and rightly so as he beats the world No7!
Rakic vs Murzakanov: Round 1
19:26 , Oli GentRakic starts nicely with high kicks, but Murzakanov defends well to fend off the takedown attempt.
The Russian is so quick on his feet... and his opponent is quickly on his back!
A choppy right hand on entry fells the Serbian! A big TKO in the first round!
Here comes the main card!
19:19 , Oli GentAleksandar Rakic, the Serbian, takes on Azamat Murzakanov, the Russian.
Bruce Buffer going crazy in the middle of the Octagon, as per usual.
Tom Aspinall is in the house!
19:01 , Oli GentThe headliner is here! He looks in the zone.
Salkilld on his knockout
18:45 , Oli GentOn 10 days’ notice, with a 13kg cut... the Australian wants a bonus payment for that performance!
Salkilld by knockout!
18:42 , Oli GentWhat an ending from the Australian, after he was on the back foot in those early exchanges!
Up next!
18:41 , Oli GentNasrat Haqparast and Quillan Salkilld in the lightweight division to finish off the prelims.
Haqparast has had some early success with his opening strikes, while Salkilld is telegraphing his shots a bit too much so far...
But oh my goodness! Salkilld goes for the high kick and Haqparast is out cold!
That could be one of the best knockouts of the year. It’s a clean kick, shin to temple. What a shot!
Aliskerov by decision!
18:31 , Oli GentA unanimous decision for the Alikserov, with Khabib in his corner.
Park vs Aliskerov: Round 3
18:30 , Oli GentFinal round, and the Russian lands a lovely left hand combination, before a big right and knee.
He takes Park down, and dominates the Korean on the ground.
He should have this victory in the bag as we go to the judges.
Park vs Aliskerov: Round 2
18:24 , Oli GentThere’s a technical time out as the referee warns Park for a couple of low blows.
Aliskerov is looking tired as he staggers towards the stool. His corner is telling him not to show tiredness, else he’ll get finished. Interesting...
Park vs Aliskerov: Round 1
18:16 , Oli GentJust a case of feeling each other out in this middleweight bout so far.
Aliskerov is doing well leading with that jab, while Park is looking for that counter right.
A more even first round in this one than the previous fight.
Park vs Aliskerov next
18:06 , Oli GentSouth Korea’s Jun-Yong Park takes on Ikram Aliskerov next in the penultimate prelim showdown.
Klein takes it!
18:01 , Oli GentBy majority decision, the Slovakian wins it. He’s in tears on the stool as he gets treatment. He says that he has broken his ankle.
He apologises for his lack of ‘big performance’, but he was dominant in the first two rounds.
Rebecki vs Klein: Round 3
17:57 , Oli GentFinal round, and what does Rebecki have left? Most importantly, can he survive?
It’s been so simple for Klein so far, but hang on! Rebecki gets on top of him, and is raining down some blows here!
Klein does well to defend on the floor, but there is a punishing elbow from Rebecki.
The Pole is digging his head into his opponent’s chest and jaw, but he’s taking shots from beneath.
Rebecki is looking for the crucifix, but Klein is defending well.
The Pole is doing really well on the ground here, as he looks for the tap. Klein trying to survive now, and here come the elbows!
It’s a bloodbath now... but surely it won’t be enough as the horn goes!
Rebecki vs Klein: Round 2
17:51 , Oli GentBoth land big shots on the one-minute mark of the second.
Rebecki is clearly hurt, as Klein looks to time him with kicks on the way in.
Rebecki goes for the takedown tight to the cage, and he succeeds second time around, but the Slovak gets up once more.
The Pole has a bad cut above his left eye. There’s swelling under it as well, which is really going to sting.
Some heavy shots off both wings from Klein, before a left kick to the face has Rebecki stumbling.
He stays upright and swings, but he’s getting outclassed here.
Rebecki vs Klein: Round 1
17:45 , Oli GentThe southpaw stance of Klein, up against the orthodox Pole.
Rebecki is under pressure immediately, with that sharp lead hand from the Slovakian.
Rebecki’s nose is already running a tad.
Some nasty left hands by Klein, timing them to perfection.
Rebecki has got back into the fight in the dying embers of this opening round, but he’s swinging and missing, and that will be eating up his energy stores.
He’s failed with all five takedown attempts, too.
Up next
17:35 , Oli GentMateusz Rebecki takes on Ludovit Klein in the lightweight division next on the prelim card.
After this, we have two more bouts until we reach the main card.
Walker beats Sutherland by submission
17:21 , Oli GentWalker goes for the outside heel hook, but rolls Sutherland, and he gets the tap.
Walker vs Sutherland: Round 1
17:19 , Oli GentHere we go!
Three rounds here for the ‘Vanilla Gorilla’.
He’s looking to establish that lead hand early, while Walker is going for the low kicks.
Sutherland’s first kick lands with some power, but he’s taken down inside the first minute!
Sutherland is backed up against the leg, with Walker using his legs to try and squeeze his opponent... and he gets the tap after the exchange on the ground!
Sutherland is furious, but Walker gets the submission victory!
More English interest!
17:14 , Oli GentHeavyweight Louie Sutherland makes his UFC debut this evening, taking on Valter Walker.
The 31-year-old is 10-3, with eight finishes of those victories.
Brazilian Walker is 14-1, and is looking in great shape. And what a beard that is.
Wood takes it by decision!
17:07 , Oli Gent‘The Prospect’ wins it by unanimous decision, 29-28 from all three judges!
Wood vs Delgado: Round 3
17:05 , Oli GentWe’re into the final round for Wood, and there’s plenty of blood on the face of the Englishman.
Delgado is showing good head movement, and goes for the takedown there!
Wood survives, and there’s a minute left of this round.
Delgado is dominating in the ‘significant strikes’ statistic, and that’s showing. He’s throwing more than ‘The Prospect’, although Wood lands a nice left there.
Wood takes Delgado down as we near the horn, and gets on top of the Mexican, but he can’t reel off any blows as time is called!
Up next, some English interest!
17:00 , Oli GentNathaniel Wood is up on the block next, taking on Jose Delgado in the featherweight division.
Wood, hailing out of Morden, south London, has been with the UFC since 2018.
He has a record of 21-6 in his professional career.
He won performance of the night on debut at UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs Moraes, and since then, he has fought another 12 times on the promotion.
Nicknamed ‘The Prospect’, he takes on Delgado, with a 10-1 record.
Prelims so far
16:53 , Oli GentWe’ve had three results so far in the early prelims.
- Jacqueline Amorim bt Mizuki Inoue by decision - Women’s strawweight
- Azat Maksum bt Mitch Raposo by decision - flyweight
- Hamdy Abdelwahab bt Chris Barnett by decision - heavyweight
Paddy Pimblett exclusive
16:40 , Oli GentOne man that was supposed to be fighting on this card was the maverick Scouser Paddy Pimblett.
The Liverpudlian is pushing for a lightweight title fight against Ilia Topuria, but negotiations have dragged, meaning that he cannot take to the Octagon tonight.
Soon come, however.
Read what Pimblett had to say about a potential Topuria scrap here!
How did we get here?
16:30 , Oli GentWell, blame a certain man by the name of Jon Jones.
Aspinall had been calling ‘Bones’ out ever since he became the interim heavyweight champion, with Jones the belt-holder.
Aspinall had knocked out Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes to prove that he deserved a crack at becoming the undisputed, but Jones continued to stall, repeatedly laughing off a fight with the Briton.
However, a breakthrough was made in June this year, but not in the way everyone had hoped.
Dana White, the UFC president, announced that Jones had suddenly retired from mixed martial arts. Reluctantly, he announced that Aspinall was now the heavyweight champion of the UFC.
It’s not what White, Aspinall, nor fight fans wanted, but Jones wanted to protect his legacy, and Aspinall would have been a very, very dangerous opponent.
So now, we find ourselves here, in Abu Dhabi, as Aspinall fights for the first time in over a year, in a maiden title defence of the actual belt.
How will he fare?
UFC 321 full card
16:21 , Oli GentMain card
Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane - UFC heavyweight title
Virna Jandiroba vs Mackenzie Dern - vacant UFC strawweight title
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Mario Bautista
Alexander Volkov vs Jailton Almeida
Aleksandar Rakic vs Azamat Murzakanov
Prelims
Nasrat Haqparast vs Quillan Salkilld
Ikram Aliskerov vs Park Jun-yong
L'udovit Klein vs Mateusz Rebecki
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs Matheus Camilo
Valter Walker vs Louie Sutherland
Nathaniel Wood vs Jose Miguel Delgado
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs Chris Barnett
Azat Maksum vs Mitch Raposo
Jaqueline Amorim vs Mizuki Inoue
How to watch
16:10 , Oli GentTV channel: In the UK, the UFC 321 main card and prelims can be viewed via pay-per-view on TNT Sports, where coverage begins at 5pm BST. The pay-per-view costs £19.99.
Live stream: You can purchase the pay-per-view on discovery+, EE TV, Virgin TV, Sky, and Prime Video, where you can stream the event live.
The early prelims are available to watch live via UFC Fight Pass. In the USA, the event is being shown by ESPN+.
Hello and welcome!
15:59 , Oli Gent... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tom Aspinall’s UFC comeback.
The Briton is now the undisputed heavyweight champion, and he fights for the first time in 15 months, defending the belt against the experienced Cyril Gane.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with the main card set to get underway at 7pm BST.
