Dern Wins Strawweight Title; Salkilld Head-Kick KO

UFC 321 packed Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena and was built around a heavyweight headliner between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. Mackenzie Dern outpointed Virna Jandiroba over five rounds to claim the vacant UFC women's strawweight title, saying she nearly quit after a rough first round and crediting her corner for refocusing her. The undercard produced a viral moment when Quillan Salkilld landed a first-round head-kick KO that briefly left Nasrat Haqparast unconscious and prompted concern among fans. Earlier prelims saw Mizuki Inoue return from a long layoff to defeat Jaqueline Amorim by unanimous decision despite suffering a deep cut. Outside the UFC, Fusion FC 97 in Peru featured Ronald Padilla capturing the interim lightweight title with a spinning-elbow knockout of Alvaro Vacacela, and Piero Pineda extended his perfect finishing streak with a 30-second KO.