The UFC made its return to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday with a card headlined by a heavyweight title bout between champion Tom Aspinall and challenger Ciryl Gane. The event also featured a co-main event for the vacant women’s strawweight championship, as Mackenzie Dern faced Virna Jandiroba following Zhang Weili’s decision to vacate the belt and move up to challenge for the flyweight title.

Tom Aspinall (c) vs. Ciryl Gane ends in no contest due to accidental eye poke

The heavyweight title fight between champion Tom Aspinall and challenger Ciryl Gane ended in disappointment on Saturday night, as their main event at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi was declared a no contest due to an accidental eye poke in the first round. Gane started strong, landing sharp jabs and leg kicks that bloodied Aspinall’s nose while countering effectively on his back foot.

Late in the round, Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in the right eye during an exchange, prompting an immediate stoppage. Despite being given five minutes to recover, Aspinall was unable to continue, and referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight at 4:35 of the opening round. Aspinall was later taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

It was the first UFC title fight in history to end in a no contest because of an accidental foul. With few clear contenders in the heavyweight division following Jon Jones’s retirement, the UFC is expected to schedule an immediate rematch between Aspinall and Gane once the champion is medically cleared.

Mackenzie Dern (c) def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)

Mackenzie Dern became the new UFC strawweight champion with a unanimous decision win over Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event of UFC 321. It was a rematch of their 2020 fight, which Dern also won, though this time she showcased much-improved striking against an opponent who entered on a five-fight winning streak.

Dern opened aggressively, landing leg kicks and combinations while defending Jandiroba’s 17 takedown attempts. Although Jandiroba secured 9 takedowns, she struggled to control position or deal damage, as Dern remained active and often worked back to her feet. Both fighters wore visible damage, but Dern consistently landed the cleaner and more powerful strikes.

After five rounds, all three judges scored the fight for Dern, who improved to 2–0 against Jandiroba and captured her first UFC title with a composed and technical performance.

UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane Results

• Tom Aspinall (c) vs. Ciryl Gane ends in no contest due to accidental eye poke
• Mackenzie Dern (c) def. Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
• Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic via first-round TKO (punches)
• Quillan Salkilld def. Nasrat Haqparast via first-round knockout (head kick)
• Ikram Aliskerov def. Jun Yong Park via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ludovit Klein def. Mateusz Rebecki via majority decision (29-28, 28-27, 28-28)
• Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland via first-round submission (heel hook)
• Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Delgado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-27, 29-27)
• Mitch Raposo def Azat Maksum via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
• Mizuki def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)