Israel Adesanya provides UFC 321 heavyweight title bout prediction

Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall puts his title on the line for the first time since being elevated from interim titleholder to undisputed champion in the UFC 321 main event on Saturday. The 32 year-old Brit takes on former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in his first fight in 15 months.

After winning the interim championship at UFC 295 and defending it at UFC 304, Aspinall was sidelined waiting for then-champion Jon Jones to accept a title unification bout. Any hope of the match happening ended when Jones retired in June. With the division moving again, UFC matchmakers booked a champion versus the top contender match. 

Former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya gave his analysis of the matchup and revealed his prediction for the UFC 321 heavyweight title bout. 

"I've been wanting to see this fight for a long time because they're both like the new breed of heavyweights in the sense that they are athletic, fast. They're strong, they're massive," Adesanya said on his YouTube channel.

"The Last Stylebender" believes Aspinall will have the advantage when it comes to speed, but expects Gane's footwork and movement to be a factor. 

"I think Aspinall will be faster. Aspinall, his hand speed is crazy. Not that Ciryl Gane is not fast. I just think Aspinall, when he gets the ball rolling, it's really hard to stop that momentum," said Adesanya. "Gane, footwork. That's one thing I think he'll beat Aspinall at in this fight. Got a nice bounce, too. He can cover distance well, but he has to be careful of Aspinall's counters."

After viewing footage of the two, Adesanya is confident the fight will end in a stoppage.

"I'm excited for this fight. This is not going to go the distance. I don't think so," Adesanya said. "The thing is, the unknown is Aspinall in the later rounds. No one's seen it. I haven't seen it, so I want to know. ... It's where you showcase who you are, showcase your fighting spirit, showcase how clean you work even in the championship rounds."

Adesanya believes Aspinall would be smart to grapple early in the fight. "He knows he's a better grappler, I'm sure, or he feels I'm sure he's a better grappler. So, why not mix it up early? I say not just test his grappling but mix it up early," he said.

Isreal Adesanya's UFC 321 Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane Prediction

"I'm going Tom in this fight just because he's just, the momentum is crazy, man. The way he's been finishing guys," said the UFC Hall of Famer. "I'm not going to say it's going to be an easy (fight) because styles make fights. Just because Jon Jones dispatched of Gane easily doesn't mean it's going to be the same with Tom. But, again, Tom can bridge that gap. And that speed with the f**king mass he has behind it is a dangerous weapon.

"I like Gane. I like his style. I just want to see a good fight. I think it's going to be a f**king high level mixed martial arts heavyweight fight," Adesanya continued. "It's going to be the highest. This is the baddest man on the planet like title. Isn't it? The heavyweight guy is always the baddest man on the planet, so this is for the belt."