Aspinall, who had won his first-round knockout over Curtis Blaydes back in July 2024, was making his first official title defence. He retained the belt after an accidental eye poke. Aspinall was the interim champion and many people expected him to fight Jon Jones in a unification title fight. Jones had refused to face Aspinall for a year, but in June he abruptly resigned from the UFC and vacated his title. Aspinall was promoted to the title of undisputed heavyweight and Gane became his official challenger. He had last fought on December, winning a controversial split-decision win over fellow top competitor Alexander Volkov. UFC president Dana White apologized to Volkov after the fight. However, the win on Gane’s record was sufficient to cement him as the number one contender. While there was no bad blood between Aspinall, Gane, and the UFC prior to Saturday’s main fight, both stars were clear in their determination to achieve greatness.
2025-10-25 22:01:39
Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane Ends in No Contest After Eye Poke Ruled Accidental Foul
