It was supposed to be the night Tom Aspinall cemented his reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion. Instead, UFC 321 became one of the controversial events in recent memory. Just 4:35 minutes into the main event, Ciryl Gane’s accidental eye poke brought everything to a halt. The referee waved off the fight after the title defender couldn’t recover. Understandably, the crowd in Abu Dhabi erupted in boos. Now, the disappointment has carried over to social media as the payout for the two fighters is revealed.

According to estimates shared by UnforgettableMMA on Instagram, Aspinall earned a massive $3,542,000, while Gane walked away with $1,522,000. But here’s the kicker, the fight ended before the first round even closed. Hence, the post read, “Do you think that’s too much money for a fight that didn’t even have a winner?”

The main event might have lasted under five minutes, but it overshadowed the rest of the card, where fighters like Virna Jandiroba ($882,000) and Mackenzie Dern ($682,000) delivered competitive action that didn’t make headlines.

Even standout moments, like Quillan Salkilld’s viral head-kick knockout and Valter Walker’s fourth straight heel hook finish, were buried beneath talk of money and fairness. The irony is that neither fighter wanted things to end that way.

Tom Aspinall, furious after the no-contest, called the outcome “complete bulls—,” while Gane apologized profusely by stating, “I’m very sorry for that—for the crowd, for the fans, for everybody. I’m sorry for myself.”

While UFC CEO Dana White later promised an immediate rematch, even he admitted the result was a “great showing, s—ty ending.”

For the fans, though, intent didn’t matter; the optics did.

Already, Paddy Pimblett gave his verdict, calling the card one of the worst pay-per-views in UFC history. The fans weren’t as forgiving either.

Fans are up in arms after Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane’s payout is revealed

The image of Ciryl Gane walking away with over a million dollars after an accidental foul, while fans got less than five minutes of action. So, one fan wrote, “Both fighters pay should have been divided to all other fighters who actually fought that day.” The sentiment captured a common frustration: why should fighters who didn’t complete earn more than those who bled and battled through full rounds?

Another comment read, “To not finish the fight, that’s a lot.” While fighters should be compensated for their time and risk, million-dollar payouts for less than one round seemed excessive.

One furious fan declared, “It’s unforgivable that Gane gets a cent.” The anger here runs deeper than numbers; it’s emotional. Some view Tom Aspinall as the wronged party and Ciryl Gane as the man responsible for a ruined night. The fight did end after the double eye poke even if it was declared unintentional.

As the British champion’s father and coach, Andy Aspinall recently shared, “The guy who fouled him, no consequence to him and now there’s a consequence to Tom and hopefully it’ll be alright but it might not be.”

A different user joked, “Wtf I can poke eyes for a mil every weekend then.” Sarcastic, but sharp. Although Aspinall has some serious consequences, on the outside, the situation looks quite absurd to some. The optics of being rewarded handsomely for a foul, intentional or not, undermine the sport’s integrity.

Someone else added, “Gane should be disqualified. He intentionally poked his fingers into Tom’s eye. Gane doesn’t fight fair. Until the eye poke, both were equally good.” This fan represents the growing conspiracy crowd who believe the foul wasn’t accidental. But given the look on Aspinall’s bloody face, we cannot be say for sure if the fight was equal to that point. Whether right deduction or not, such suspicions add fuel to the fire and hint at the emotional investment fans had in this matchup.

But for many in the MMA sphere, this wasn’t just about fighter pay; it was about value. After weeks of hype, a historic card ended with disappointment, unanswered questions, and a bitter taste that no post-fight apology or paycheck could fix.

When a no-contest ends with record paydays and the rest of the card fades into silence, it raises uncomfortable questions about how the UFC values its athletes and its audience. Now, all the fans wanting to see Aspinall finally prove his title’s worth will be waiting for a rematch.