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Dana White Calls UFC 321 Main Event Finish 'Sh*tty,' Says Aspinall–Gane Rematch Is Next

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Robert LaMar | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 9:04 PM ET

ABU DHABI — UFC 321 ended in frustration when an accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane left heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall unable to continue, prompting a No Contest at 4:35 of Round 1 and a chorus of boos the champ quickly answered from inside the cage.

At the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White summed up the night bluntly.

“I feel the way everybody feels. Great showing, shitty ending,” White said. “After the Jon Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Ciryl Gane off. He looked damn good tonight. It looked like we were in for a few rounds.”

White emphasized that only Aspinall could decide whether to continue.

“I can’t make people fight… You definitely can’t make somebody continue if they feel they’ve been injured. Only Tom knows what happened. Could he see? Couldn’t he see? Only he knows that.”

Dana White: “Ciryl Gane looked damn good tonight. He had Tom bloodied up, and Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight.” pic.twitter.com/EMd4ui5RK9

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) October 25, 2025

How it unraveled

Gane raised his lead hand to parry during an exchange and his fingers raked Aspinall’s eyes. Referee Jason Herzog paused the bout as the cageside physician examined the champion, who repeatedly said he couldn’t see. With his vision compromised and a towel pressed to his face between checks, the fight was waved off as an accidental foul.

The fallout and the fix

With the title picture already bottlenecked for more than a year, White said the solution is obvious:

“Total pain in the ass but yes we’ll book the rematch… As soon as possible.”

Aspinall was transported to a local hospital following the ruling and did not appear at the presser.

Gane stock up

If there was a silver lining, it was Gane’s form before the foul. White noted that perceptions skewed by Gane’s quick loss to Jon Jones in 2023 should shift.

“Everybody was sleeping on Ciryl Gane… It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did. There probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch after they saw he had Tom bloodied up… The rematch is very interesting.”

This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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