Latest news with #CirylGane
Al Etihad
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al Etihad
It's Aspinally vs Gane finally for 'huge card' at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi
24 July 2025 22:02 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)Tom Aspinall will make his first undisputed heavyweight title defence against France's Ciryl Gane in the headline bout of UFC 321, set to take place on October 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.'This is what I've worked for my entire life. To fight someone like Ciryl Gane, to be the undisputed champion, to defend my belt on a huge card in Abu Dhabi,' Aspinall told MMA Fighting after the announcement. According to Aspinall, this is a fight destined and finally happening after four rounds of stalling. The Manchester-born champion (15-3) returns to the Octagon riding a wave of momentum, which started when Gane avoided him at the start.'Me and Ciryl Gane finally signed on the dotted line. This is the fourth time we've been matched up together. He turned me down for a fight early on, before we were in the rankings,' Aspinall reminded that after he had called out the winner of Gane vs. Serghei Spivac in 2023, but 'Ciryl turned down the fight on a second occasion'.Aspinall claimed the interim title with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, followed by a dominant defence against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 in July 2024. A unification bout with Jon Jones appeared inevitable, but the long-reigning champion chose to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 309, and then retired, prompting the UFC to elevate Aspinall to undisputed champion out of Paris, the former interim titleholder Gane (13-2) is revered for his movement, timing and high-level striking. With victories over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, and Volkov on his résumé, the Frenchman now eyes a second shot at undisputed gold – and redemption – in his first bout for the 321, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), underscores the emirate's growing status as an elite MMA destination. Previous events hosted in the city include Khabib Nurmagomedov's triumphant UFC 242 title defence and last year's memorable clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway at UFC 308. Tickets for UFC 321 will go on sale at 1pm local time on Friday via the website. Premium VIP Experience packages will also be available through UFC's official VIP partner, On Location, offering behind-the-scenes access, hospitality, and fighter meet-and-greets. Additional bouts on the card include: ● Aleksandar Rakic (14-5, fighting out of Vienna, Austria) will take on undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (15-0, fighting out of New Jersey, USA) in a light heavyweight matchup.● Two heavyweight contenders face off as Alexander Volkov (38-11, fighting out of Moscow, Russia) takes on Jailton Almeida (22-3, fighting out of Salvador, Brazil).● Azat Maksum (15-2, fighting out of Kaskelen, Kazakhstan) faces Mitch Raposo (9-3, fighting out of Massachusetts, USA), who looks to get back in the win column, in a flyweight fight.● Ikram Aliskerov (16-2, fighting out of Dagestan, Russia) takes on vs JunYong Park (19-6, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) in what promises to be a thrilling middleweight fight.● Hamdy Abdelwahab (4-1, fighting out of New York, USA, by way of Egypt) faces off against Chris Barnett (23-9, fighting out of Florida, USA) in a heavyweight bout.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC 321 headliner
Tom Aspinall will look to officially begin his undisputed heavyweight title reign in the UFC 321 main event when he clashes with former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane preview Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was upgraded from interim to undisputed champion in June when UFC CEO Dana White announced that Jon Jones had informed the promotion of his retirement from MMA. The Brit claimed the interim strap with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in November 2023, then subsequently defended it in July 2024 with another quick finish against Curtis Blaydes, avenging his only octagon defeat. Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will look to finally get his hands on the undisputed heavyweight belt after falling short in previous bids against Jones and Francis Ngannou. The Frenchman is coming off a highly controversial split decision victory over Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 in December. Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane odds According to DraftKings, Aspinall is a sizeable -345 favorite to retain his title against challenger Gane, who's a +275 underdog. How to watch Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 Where: Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+ pay-per-view When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tom Aspinall to defend heavyweight title at UFC 321 vs. Ciryl Gane
The top of the heavyweight division is finally moving again. Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will defend his title for the first time as the undisputed holder when he takes on Ciryl Gane in the UFC 321 headliner. The event takes place Oct. 25 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The promotion announced the fight Tuesday. It'll be nearly 15 months between fights for Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who waited patiently on the sidelines as interim champion while the promotion tried to wrangle then-heavyweight champion Jon Jones into a highly anticipated showdown. After months of talk and public confusion, Jones retired and Aspinall was named champion. The fight will be Aspinall's third UFC title fight, already holding interim title wins over Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes. Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) returned from a 14 month layoff in December when he won a highly-controversial decision over Alexander Volkov. The win was his second in a row and third in most recent four fights. With the addition, the UFC 321 lineup includes: Champion Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane – for heavyweight title This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 321: Tom Aspinall finally returns vs. Ciryl Gane
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Mixed Martial Arts-Aspinall to defend UFC heavyweight title against Gane
Britain's Tom Aspinall will defend his UFC undisputed heavyweight title for the first time against Frenchman Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi on October 25. The 32-year-old won the interim championship in 2023, and was promoted to undisputed status last month after the reigning champion Jon Jones retired and vacated his belt. Aspinall, who last fought in July 2024 when he knocked out Curtis Blaydes to defend his interim belt, said it was the fourth time he had been matched up with Gane, although they have never faced off in the Octagon before. "Me and Ciryl Gane finally signed on the dotted line," Aspinall said in an Instagram video on Wednesday. "The fourth attempt is here, and this is Ciryl's third title shot." Former interim champion Gane lost a decision to Francis Ngannou in his first shot at the undisputed heavyweight belt in 2022, before being submitted by Jones in his second attempt to capture the title the next year. 'We're going to try and get rid of Ciryl Gane from the title picture for good.' Aspinall added. REUTERS
The Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Tom Aspinall reacts to Ciryl Gane fight as first undisputed title defence is confirmed
Tom Aspinall has said he intends to 'get rid of' Ciryl Gane from the UFC heavyweight title picture, when he defends the belt against the Frenchman in October. Tuesday (22 July) brought the announcement that Aspinall will make his first undisputed-title defence in the main event of UFC 321, finally taking on European rival Gane. The pair have been linked numerous times in recent years, with Gane and the Briton occupying top rankings in the division. Gane, 35, won the interim belt in 2021 but failed to unify the titles with then-champion Francis Ngannou in January 2022, while Aspinall claimed the interim strap in November 2023 and never got the chance to face fellow title-holder Jon Jones. Jones's recent retirement saw Aspinall, 32, elevated to undisputed champion, almost a year after he took the rare decision to defend the interim belt – which he retained against Curtis Blaydes in Manchester. Now, the Wigan fighter prepares to defend the undisputed title for the first time, in Abu Dhabi on 25 October. 'Finally we're back, after over a year hiatus,' Aspinall said in an Instagram video on Wednesday (23 July). 'Me and Ciryl finally signed on the dotted line. 'This is the fourth time we've been matched up together. He turned the fight early on, before we were both in the rankings. 'After that, he fought Spivac [in 2023]. I said in a post-fight interview after I beat [Marcin] Tybura: 'I'm going to go to Paris, I'm going to be sat front row for Ciryl Gane against Serghei Spivac, I'm gonna beat the winner, and then I'm gonna beat Jon Jones.' I went to Paris, Ciryl unfortunately turned down the fight on a second occasion. 'The third occasion, I fought Curtis Blaydes. The original opponent was Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Ciryl was busy that date. Ciryl was filming his Netflix series. I can't remember what it's called, but I'm sure you can check it out now on Netflix. 'And now we are matched up for 25 October, Abu Dhabi. Me and Ciryl, the fourth attempt is here, and this is Ciryl's third title shot. So, we are going to try and get rid of Ciryl Gane from the title picture for good.' Aspinall's last fight was his first-round knockout of Blaydes in July 2024, as he avenged an injury-induced loss to the American from 2022. Meanwhile, Gane's last outing was a controversial fight with Alexander Volkov in December, when the Frenchman outpointed the Russian for the second time, though many fans and pundits disagreed with the scoring. Gane's previous two undisputed-title fights were his points loss to Ngannou, and his first-round submission loss to Jones in 2023. The latter result saw Jones, the consensus greatest light-heavyweight ever, win the vacant heavyweight title. Jones was then due to defend the belt against divisional great Stipe Miocic in November 2023, but he suffered an injury that delayed the bout by 12 months. On the night they were first due to fight, Aspinall instead faced Sergei Pavlovich, knocking him out in round one to become interim champion. Aspinall then retained the interim strap against Blaydes before Jones, 38, stopped Miocic, 42, last November. Jones never committed to fighting Aspinall in a unification bout, and ultimately the American retired last month.
