UFC 321: What Tom Aspinall Thinks About His Opponent and Will He Fight Twice in 2025
Finally, the top end of the heavyweight division in the UFC will return! On 25 October, Tom Aspinall will embark on his first defence of the title against consistent contender to the crown Ciryl Gane. Aspinall will have 15 months of ring rust accrued since fighting in Manchester for UFC 304. The belt’s been collecting dust for 11 months since UFC 309.
Coming into UFC 321, Aspinall has been subjected to booing from a Parisian crowd, has been labelled the clear-cut favourite, and the division has been called “shallow.” With all of this going on, what does the reigning champion think about the noise around UFC 321, and could a quick victory lead to another fight in 2025?
“There Was Nobody Else to Fight”
Choosing a Fight Night event in Paris to announce the next UFC heavyweight title fight to the world, the belt holder was booed tremendously by the crowd. This was, of course, because of the local support for Paris-resident Ciryl Gane, who would emerge as the challenger to the crown.
The Frenchman’s local fans were in full voice, to the extent that Aspinall could barely get a word in. The English-French rivalry continues to go strong across all sports, it seems. Responding to the boos, the Englishman said, “I mean, there was nobody else to fight.” Ciryl, you just do your thing. I’ll just chill.”
Aspinall dismissed all thoughts of Jon Jones, the former champion and fighter, who is argued by many to be the greatest male fighter in the history of the promotion. He’s retired, the Englishman clarified, so all focus is on beating Gane. Looking at the matchup, Joe Rogan said, “Man, the heavyweight division is so shallow.”
High Expectations for His First Defence
Gane has had numerous title shots and title challenger eliminators, but never came away with the belt. A famed striker with excellent footwork, the Frenchman has been undone by a sound ground game multiple times. However, Aspinall is also best known for his striking and early finishes, but is seen as superior to his UFC 321 foe.
Across the best odds in sports betting in Canada, Aspinall enters as the heavy -400 favourite to retain the belt and be deemed the winner of the fight by any method. Gane is the clear underdog at +300. Now, Gane does have the power and speed to catch any fighter off with a clean strike, but Aspinall isn’t expected to take such a shot.
A Swift Finish Before Another Fight?
Aspinall was elevated to the UFC heavyweight title after Jon Jones retired. The 15-3 champion has enjoyed a surging run in the promotion, which includes his successful vengeance bout against Curtis Blaydes last time out. Across his career, he hasn’t yet seen the third round.
Including his loss to Blaydes at UFC Fight Night 208 in 2022, each of the last six Aspinall bouts has ended in the first round. Four have ended before two minutes had expired. To his credit, the only two losses on Gane’s résumé are to Jones and Francis Ngannou – the latter of whom he took the distance.
Even so, an early Aspinall finish is what many are expecting, be it the second or first round. However, even a short and relatively unpunished run-out likely wouldn’t book him another UFC fight this year. The last numbered event of the year is UFC 323, set for 6 December, which would mark a turnover unseen for Aspinall since his BAMMA days.
It seems that Aspinall is aware of his place as the favourite and the relative lack of competition in the division, but even if he ends UFC 321 swiftly, it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the octagon again in 2025.
