Tom Aspinall was swiftly hospitalized following his bout with Ciryl Gane, which ended as a no contest due to an accidental eye-poke incident. Earlier this year, Aspinall was promoted to the undisputed champion position after Jon Jones unexpectedly retired from the sport. His last fight before UFC 321 occurred in July 2024 when he successfully defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in Manchester.
Eager to return to action, Aspinall eagerly accepted the fight with Gane to make up for lost time. Gane, a familiar face in undisputed title matches, had previously fallen short in two attempts before UFC 321. The main event in Abu Dhabi took a dramatic turn in the first round when Aspinall suffered accidental eye pokes from Gane, leading to the fight being stopped and Aspinall being rushed to the hospital.
Known for his explosive style, Aspinall faced an aggressive start from the challenger, with Gane landing significant strikes early on. Despite a brief exchange, Aspinall started bleeding from the nose before the eye-poking incident halted the fight. Aspinall expressed frustration over the situation post-fight, while Gane apologized for the outcome and expressed disappointment in the fight’s interruption.
Following UFC 321, Dana White confirmed plans to reschedule the heavyweight showdown, despite the unfortunate turn of events.