Thrilling Heavyweight Title Clash Announced For UFC 321

Tom Aspinall Set to Make First Defense of Belt at UFC 321

Capturing the interim belt back in 2023 at UFC 295 with a thunderous knockout over heavyweight boogeyman Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall thrust himself into mainstream notoriety. Seemingly earning himself a showdown with then undisputed ruler Jon Jones, the Englishman was continuously denied a unification contest to allow “Bones” to take on former 265-lb gold standard Stipe Miocic. 

This forced Aspinall, in an effort to stay active, to face off with the only man to have beaten him in the promotion, Curtis Blaydes, battling the American at UFC 304 back in July of last year. Coming to blows with “Razor” in 2022, the European standout suffered a devastating injury to his knee after attempting a kick to Blaydes’ thigh, forcing Aspinall to sit out of competition for a whole year. Exacting his revenge, however, the then interim champion pummeled Blaydes into submission in just a minute to notch his first title defense. 

Jones Retires, Clearing Way for Aspinall to Defend Belt at UFC 321

On the other side of the heavyweight upper echelon, Jones finally encountered Miocic later that November at UFC 309, where he dusted the aging Midwesterner with a dominant round three technical knockout. While many expected the consensus greatest fighter of all time to attempt to unify the belts against Aspinall, Jones remained hesitant to combat the streaking phenom, culminating in him retiring from competition a month ago, thus promoting Aspinall to undisputed champion ahead of UFC 321. Jones would later reenter the UFC’s testing pool after expressing interest in appearing on the rumored White House card.

Gane Contends for Heavyweight Throne for Third Time at UFC 321

At one point in time, Gane was regarded as the next great name in the UFC’s heavyweight category, winning his first seven bouts in the promotion before challenging for the strap at UFC 270 in 2022. His opponent was combat sports icon Francis Ngannou, who had previously wrested the belt away from the aforementioned Miocic with a heart-stopping knock out. Winning the early rounds of the encounter with his superior foot work and slick striking, Gane looked to be on pace to nab the championship on the cards until “The Predator” utilized a stellar wrestling strategy to control “Bon Gamin”, taking the fight by unanimous decision. 

Getting back into the title picture after toppling fan-favorite name Tai Tuivasa, Gane found himself locking horns with a returning Jones, who was not only making his first Octagon appearance in nearly three years, he was also making his heavyweight debut after a lengthy career as light heavyweight king. Tackling the American at UFC 285, Gane was emphatically dominated by the elite-level grappling of Jones, being taken down at will by the previous college wrestler and submitted in just over two minutes of round one. 

Stakes are High for Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 This Fall

Over the course of the next year, the Frenchman endeavored to make his way back into the heavyweight title picture, logging two further victories over stellar competition in Serghei Spivac and old rival Alexander Volkov. Now, presented with an unprecedented third opportunity to vie for 265-lb gold this fall, a lot will be riding on the line for Gane heading into UFC 321. Should he manage to upset the heavily-favored Aspinall at UFC 321 in October, then he will finally fulfill his destiny as a championship hopeful, but if he loses, then it could spell the end of his hopes of ever receiving another title bout.