The UFC 321 main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane ended in chaos, leaving fans and fighters frustrated and prompting UFC CEO Dana White to make an immediate call on what comes next for the heavyweight division.
The bout in Abu Dhabi was billed as Aspinall’s first defense as undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, but it ended in less than five minutes when Gane accidentally poked the champion in the eyes.
The incident left Aspinall unable to continue, prompting referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight and rule it a no-contest, something Gane apologized for.
White addressed the controversy during his post-fight press conference, pretty much confirming that the UFC will rebook the matchup as soon as possible.
“I feel the way everybody feels. Great showing, [expletive] 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, and it was going to be a good fight.”
When asked if he was already thinking about scheduling the rematch, White didn’t hesitate.
“Total pain in the [expletive], but yes,” White said. “They’re both in shape. Other than whatever’s wrong with his eye, both guys are not injured, so, as soon as possible.”
The UFC boss admitted he rarely announces fights immediately after events, but this time, there was little doubt because of the bizarre ending.
White also emphasized that only Aspinall could decide whether to continue after suffering the foul.
“I can’t make people fight,” White said. “You definitely can’t make somebody continue if they feel they’ve been injured. Only Tom knows what happened.”
MMA Mania’s Alex Behunin reported that Aspinall was transported to a local hospital immediately after the fight.
