UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, said it was “time to get the division going” after former 265-pound titleholder, Jon Jones, kept everyone on ice with his retirement games. The means to that end
was an undisputed title defense against two-time title challenger, Ciryl Gane, atop the UFC 321 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sat. (Oct. 25, 2025) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Instead, the division sputtered and stalled (again) after Gane treated Aspinall’s eyes like Remo Williams treated his Korean fingerboard. An inadvertent eye poke from “Bon Gamin” (see it here) called a halt to the action in the opening frame and it never restarted, ending the matchup by way of “No Contest.” No word yet on whether or not the promotion will book an immediate rematch.
That’s because the fight that was supposed to determine the next heavyweight title contender, Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida, was a total snoozefest and hardly the statement either fighter needed to claim the next crack at the heavyweight crown. “Drago” walked away with the split decision nod, which may or may not have been a “robbery,” despite getting taken down seven times across their 15-minute affair.
That’s kind of been the story for the heavyweight division over the last couple of years. Elder statesmen, Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic, retired from competition after hall of fame careers while Francis Ngannou skipped town for greener pastures in PFL. Jones was expected to carry the 265-pound torch into 2025 and beyond, only to call it quits after consecutive wins over Gane (UFC 285) and Miocic (UFC 309).
Valter Walker to the rescue?
The once-beaten ”Foot Hunter” has now won four straight — all by way of heel hook — following his dismantling of Louie Sutherland in Abu Dhabi. Perhaps the half-brother of UFC light heavyweight fan favorite, Johnny Walker, is not ready for a title shot right this moment, but his continued success has given jaded fight fans hope for an exciting heavyweight future, depending on how Walker is paired up.
Or maybe we just grant Alex Pereira his wish to move up in weight (yet again).
As for Aspinall, the wounded Brit was transported to the hospital immediately following his Gane fight and his condition remains unknown. Expect the promotion (or Aspinall) to have an update later tonight.
For more UFC 321 results and highlights click here.
