Why did Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane end in a no-contest at UFC 321?

UFC 321 was supposed to end with either Tom Aspinall defending his belt or Ciryl Gane being crowned as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. However, the fight lasted less than a round thanks to a no-contest ending.

The last seconds of the round were rolling when an exchange happened. Unfortunately, Aspinall got a nasty double eye-poke courtesy of Gane. It was unintentional but the damage done was brutal. After getting checked by the doctor, Aspinall couldn’t see from his right eye at all and that forced referee Jason Herzog to stop the bout and declare it a no-contest.

It was a really tough end to an otherwise exciting fight card. Still, the whole event was meant to end in a heavyweight classic between Aspinall and Gane. To end it like this is just a brutal outcome for fans, fighters and the UFC itself.

How was Aspinall vs Gane going?

Before the eye-poke, the round was a very competitive one. Aspinall was doing harm with leg kicks and pace, while Gane was doing damage with his jab and lateral movement. Aspinall was already bleeding from his nose but his dynamic skillset was still causing troubles.

It was a very tough to round to score but with less than 30 seconds, disaster struck. It’s just the most anticlimatic ending possible. Aspinall tried to recover but after not being able to see, there was no other option but to stop the fight. Fans booed him, which prompted him to bash out against fans. “What the f—, why you [the fans] booing? What am I supposed to do about it, I didn’t do the poke. I can’t see! Complete bulls—, I’m p—– off.”

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What happens now?

Well, of course the press conference centered on the main event. When asked if the fight was going to be booked again, UFC president Dana White said, “Total pain in the a–, but yes.” White was clearly disappointed in how the event ended.

The November and December pay-per-views are already full and each event has two title fights already. Hence, it’s likely this will be rebooked for January. UFC 324 hasn’t announced a main event so if the UFC wants to keep the division moving, that’s the date they should target.