For the first time in his UFC career, Tom Aspinall looked human. And by “human,” I mean he failed to finish his opponent within one round.
Instead, he and Ciryl Gane exchanged similar strike numbers for most of the round, though Gane managed to bloody the nose of the champ.
Unfortunately, with just under half a minute remaining in the round, Gane jammed his fingers into Aspinall’s closed eyes — yes, both eyes.
Usually, eye pokes are resolved within a minute or two without much consequence. But when the fighter tells the doctor “I can’t see” as soon as the physician enters the cage, it’s not a good sign.
Aspinall was physically unable to open his right eye, and referee Jason Herzog was forced to declare the fight a no-contest.
As a result, Aspinall kept his belt in the first-ever title fight to end in such a manner in the cage. Jon Jones’ second win over Daniel Cormier was ruled a no-contest.
Hopefully, the fight can be rescheduled soon, as neither fighter was too damaged by round one’s end.
And, somewhat serendipitously, the heavyweight division may actually benefit from the mishap.
Just three fights prior on the card, Jailton Almeida took on Alexander Volkov in what many assumed would be a fight to determine the next challenger for the heavyweight throne.
Instead, it was a dull, sloppy bout that saw nearly 11 minutes of control time by Almeida with just 33 combined significant strikes.
The decision was read in Volkov’s favor, and he’s won five of six since losing to Aspinall in 2022. This fight didn’t make the prospect of a title fight next particularly exciting.
It’s unlikely the UFC will reschedule Aspinall and Gane for any sooner than UFC 323 in December, meaning the heavyweight division has an extra few months to present a deserving contender.
However, there is some bad news.
Alex Pereira and Jon Jones were probably watching UFC 321’s main event closely, both likely hoping for the same thing: Aspinall to lose his belt.
When Pereira held the light heavyweight title and Aspinall was the interim heavyweight champion, it seemed there was an impossible jam.
Pereira vs. Jones made sense — it’s a better win for his legacy, and an easier fight as Jones aged, but Pereira seemed indifferent to the idea. Aspinall also wanted to fight Jones, but he was just seeking the undisputed title.
Jones leaned toward the Pereira fight, but Dana White did not support the idea.
Lucky for him, Pereira lost the light heavyweight title, and Jones retired instead of taking on Aspinall — without missing out on the potential payday from the Pereira fight.
But now, Pereira has regained the throne, and time is running out on booking the Jones fight before either is too old.
Jones has hinted at returning ever since Dana White announced his departure, but he and Pereira needed a way to ignore the now-undisputed heavyweight champion — and the main event of UFC 321 played right into their hands.
Pereira posted a video on Instagram immediately after the fight that, without words, seemed to criticize Aspinall for not continuing and called out Jones for a fight at the White House next summer.
Of course, Jones accepted the deal, promising to “bring the highest skill level to the White House.”
Should Jones return, matching him with anyone except Aspinall would be a disgrace.
Legacy — a great, unmatched legacy — aside, the man who was responsible for the cancellation of multiple main events stained the sport through multiple steroid usage scandals and had frequent run-ins with the law in recent years should not be granted his fight with Pereira at the White House.
Even if Jones did get the fight he wanted, he’s too old to make the weight cut down to 205 pounds again. That would mean Pereira either meeting him halfway at a catchweight or making the bulk up to 265.
Either way, there’s no belt on the line.
If he wants to return, he needs to fight the man that he so desperately avoided, to the point where he opted to retire before standing across from him.
If Gane wins the rematch against Aspinall, the UFC is free to book Jones as he pleases. We saw what he did to Gane at UFC 285 — no need for a rematch there — and I don’t think many would be disappointed.
Even though Jones marred the reputation of the heavyweight division for a year and a half, the fight with Pereira is still one of the most intriguing in the sport.
For now, the 265-pound division has until June to sort itself out.
Either Aspinall continues his reign and a new worthy contender is found, or Gane finally achieves undisputed UFC gold — just to be overshadowed by the potential return of Jones.