UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane – Who emerges from Abu Dhabi as undisputed heavyweight champion?

There’s been a changing of the guard at the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division, with departing champion Jon Jones leaving the throne open for interim champ Tom Aspinall to take over as undisputed king. Now, at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, Aspinall will put that crown on the line for the first time when he takes on former interim champion Ciryl Gane.

It’s a fight that will give the UFC’s heavyweight division a long-awaited, and much-needed, reset, as Europe’s two best heavyweights go head-to-head in a battle to head into 2026 as the sport’s undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

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Tale of the tape: Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane

Tom Aspinall: Can English star prove he’s the best heavyweight on the planet?

He’s had to overcome a few roadblocks along the way, but Aspinall is now the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion of the world, and it’s a richly deserved title. 

The Englishman has gone through the opposition like a hot knife through butter, with only injury and a champion who didn’t want to fight him slowing his progress to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight tree. But now he has the undisputed crown, his first challenge comes this weekend against former interim champ Gane.

Aspinall has faced a slew of ranked contenders on his way to the top, and he’s demolished each and every one. Former champion Andrei Arlovski was dispatched via second-round submission in 2021 as he moved towards title contention.

A first-round TKO of Serghei Spivac cemented that contender status, and his first-round submission of perennial contender Alexander Volkov only underscored those credentials.

But disaster struck when he blew out his knee in the opening 15 seconds of his fight with Curtis Blaydes. The injury saw him fall to his first UFC defeat, and put him on the shelf for a year. 

But Aspinall returned to demolish Marcin Tybura, capture the interim heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich, then avenge that loss to Blaydes with a 60-second knockout to defend his title.

All roads were pointing to a heavyweight title unification bout with undisputed champ Jon Jones. But with Jones refusing to take the fight, then deciding to retire instead of face the Brit.

Aspinall was promoted to undisputed champion, and will put the full version of the title on the line this weekend as he bids to defeat another of the division’s top names, Ciryl Gane.

Ciryl Gane: Can French striker make amends in second undisputed title tilt?

French heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane heads into UFC 321 with redemption on his mind as he looks to make his second shot at the undisputed title count.

Gane took on Jon Jones for the vacant undisputed title at UFC 285 and, in a performance that was widely criticised, was easily defeated by first-round submission after surrendering an easy takedown and not being able to fight back to his feet. 

It wasn’t a true representation of Gane’s fighting abilities, but it did show a hole in his game that he has been working tirelessly to fix ever since. 

Gane’s return to action saw him finish Serghei Spivac in the second round, then “Bon Gamin” edged a super-close split-decision against Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 to put himself back into championship contention once again.

Now the former interim champion is determined to show that he’s a much better, more well-rounded fighter as he takes on Aspinall for the undisputed crown again. 

While Aspinall has been receiving all the plaudits, Gane has had his skill, and his heart, questioned by some quarters. On Saturday night, he has the chance to answer those questions in emphatic fashion. And if he does, he’ll walk away as the undisputed UFC heavyweight king.

Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane: The key factors

The UFC’s smartest champions have made careers out of making sure they win fights by taking the fights where their opponents are weakest, but the greatest champions are the ones who win fight where their opponents are at their best. Looking at this matchup, Aspinall has the option to go in either direction.

While Gane has been working to close the gaps in his ground game, that won’t be enough to stop Aspinall, who has been grappling for all of his martial arts career. 

It’s often forgotten that Aspinall came from a jiu-jitsu background first, then added his elite striking on top of those skills. So, if he lands a takedown, he has everything in his arsenal to gain a dominant position, then either submit Gane, or finish him with ground strikes.

Alternatively, the fight could be played out on the feet. This would undoubtedly give Gane the best possible chance of victory. He’s a big, strong striker, with a massive wingspan – bigger than Aspinall’s – so he has the physical tools in place to land shots on the champion. And at heavyweight, if you can land on your opponent, you can knock them out.

But while Gane is a good technical kickboxer, Aspinall’s boxing is vastly superior. For Gane to have success on the feet, he’ll have to use his kicks to punish Aspinall to the head, body and legs, but it’s unlikely that Aspinall will spend too much time in that range. He can shoot a takedown, or step into the pocket and let his punches go.

Gane has a striker’s chance of victory, but in almost every category, Aspinall looks to have the edge. If he stays focused on the job and doesn’t make any crazy mistakes, it’s a fight he should win.

FIRST.com's top tip - Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane

Aspinall is the clear pick to win here, and he has the ability to win with his strikes on the feet, or his submissions on the mat. 

The biggest skill discrepancy lies in the grappling, and despite this, the best odds are on Aspinall to win by submission. The 2/9 odds represents outstanding value for a fighter who is 1/4 on to win the fight outright.

PICK: TOM ASPINALL TO WIN BY SUBMISSION @ 2/9 (William Hill)

Extra tips

Brazilian heavyweight Valter Walker was best known for being the brother of gregarious UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker.

But now ‘The Clean Monster’ is making a name for himself as one of the most dangerous submission threats in the heavyweight division. 

Walker has won each of his last three fights by heel-hook submission, and he’ll be actively chasing heel-hook number four when he welcomes Scottish debutant Louie Sutherland to the Octagon for the first time. Sutherland is big, strong, and tough as an ox. 

But none of that matters when someone has a heel-hook locked in, and Walker does that better than anyone else in the heavyweight division.

PICK: VALTER WALKER TO WIN @ 3/10 (William Hill)

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Odds correct at the time of writing.