UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi Ends No Contest After Accidental Eye Poke in Aspinall vs Gane

The UFC 321 event in Abu Dhabi was headlined by a heavyweight championship bout between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane that ended in a no contest due to an accidental double eye poke from Gane, forcing the fight to be stopped early in the first round. Despite Gane's early dominance, including causing a bloody nose to Aspinall, the bout was halted after Aspinall was unable to see, leading to frustration from the crowd and the champion himself. Mackenzie Dern won the vacant women's strawweight title via unanimous decision against Virna Jandiroba in a closely contested co-main event. Other notable results included Azamat Murzakanov's first-round stoppage of Aleksandar Rakic, Alexander Volkov's split decision over Jailton Almeida, and Umar Nurmagomedov's unanimous decision win over Mario Bautista. The disappointing end to the heavyweight title fight has fueled speculation about a rematch, possibly at UFC 323, where the card could be expanded to accommodate the bout. Additionally, BetMGM offered a promotion for new bettors on UFC 321, providing up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their first wager lost, encouraging engagement with the event's betting markets.