UFC 321 is ready to bring an action-filled night for the fans to enjoy. In the main event, Tom Aspinall prepares to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Ciryl Gane, and the champ actually holds the size advantage here. While the headliner draws massive attention, the co-main event fails to do the same, as some MMA pundits express disappointment over the Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba strawweight title matchup.

Also, an anticipated lightweight bout got scrapped just before it could hit the Etihad Arena. Well, these are some of the stories MMA fans have been hooked on this entire weekend. But there’s actually more! Because Team Khabib has been making some moves before Umar Nurmagomedov gets ready to fight Mario Bautista, a fight Dana White has put a condition on. So, without any further ado, let’s get into these UFC 321 top stories. 

UFC 321 Weigh-Ins: Tom Aspinall comes in noticeably heavier than Ciryl Gane as two fighters miss weight  

Before the fights even hit the arena, fans always take a closer look at what happens during the weigh-ins to see who actually hits the scale and proceeds to fight. And at the UFC 321 weigh-ins, it was almost an 80% success show. The headliners successfully made weight, as Tom Aspinall hit the scale at 255 lbs, while Ciryl Gane came in at 247.5 lbs. So here, the British juggernaut outsized the Frenchman with a 7.5-pound difference in weight.

However, while most fighters successfully made weight, Jose Miguel Delgado came in at 147 lbs, missing the featherweight limit by one pound for his bout against Nathaniel Wood, who successfully hit the 146-lb featherweight limit. As punishment, Delgado has to forfeit 20% of his purse to his opponent. Following the Phoenix native, Azat Maksum came in at 129 lbs, missing the flyweight limit by a staggering 3 pounds, and had to give up 30% of his money to Mitch Raposo (125.5 lbs). 

Although these fighters missed weight and received punishment, so far their fights will still take place on the UFC 321 card. But another unfortunate fight had to be canceled before it even hit the scales.

Fight Cancellation: Lightweight bout scrapped just a day before UFC 321  

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady was set to face Matheus Camilo in the prelims of the Abu Dhabi PPV card. But unfortunately, ‘The Pride of Palestine’ had to withdraw from the fight. The reason? It’s not disclosed yet. On the surface, Al-Selwady’s pullout might look like a regular occurrence that happens during every big fight event. Yet, this withdrawal might actually affect his future in the UFC.

Al-Selwady pulling out against Camilo marks his fourth withdrawal in a row, and it means he’s yet to step inside the Octagon since his debut loss against Loik Radzhabov in 2024. With that amount of frequent cancellations, the American-Palestinian might actually end up under Dana White’s axing spree if another fight gets called off. Now the bigger question is — will the UFC actually wait? 

Debate Sparks: Din Thomas calls UFC 321 co-main event the most “Insignificant” title fight ever  

Of late, Din Thomas has been turning up the heat with his opinions. Remember the buildup to UFC 319? Thomas caused a massive dispute by arguing that Khamzat Chimaev would prove to be a “disaster” for the middleweight division as a champion. Well, now the veteran coach has stirred the pot again by calling out the UFC 321 co-main event fighters.

Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba are set to fight for the 115-lb title in the co-main event of UFC 321. And according to Thomas, this fight doesn’t hold any value. On the On Paper with Anthony Smith podcast, he said, “I mean this with all due respect. I’m trying to be as respectful, but has there ever been a more insignificant title fight in history? Not maybe in history, but in recent memory? You get where I’m coming from, right? No one seems to even care or have batted an eye at this fight.”

Since the previous strawweight champion, Zhang Weili, decided to vacate her title and move up to face Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322, the 115-lb division needs a new champion, right? So, do you actually think Thomas is right to call it insignificant? While that controversy keeps heating up, some very positive developments have been happening in Team Dagestan. 

All positives for Team Khabib 

Umar Nurmagomedov is ready to take his first step toward avenging his only loss against Merab Dvalishvili by taking on Mario Bautista on the UFC 321 main card. Many thought the UFC would actually give ‘The Young Eagle’ a title shot with just a win this weekend. But Dana White made it clear that he has to make it exciting enough to truly cement his chances. That means he has to either score a finish or put on a barn burner, but that’s not it. 

The undefeated 20-0 Usman Nurmagomedov stood by his brother Umar’s side and will probably corner him in the fight as well. However, more things seem to be happening behind the scenes for Team Khabib. During the weigh-ins, the UFC CEO spoke with Usman, and that conversation instantly sparked speculation about the PFL lightweight champ making his UFC debut. So, as these positive developments unfold, let’s shift our focus to another controversy.

Daniel Cormier caught disrespecting Jailton Almeida  

Daniel Cormier has always been one of the leading admirers of the current heavyweight champ, Tom Aspinall. But it seems the former two-division champion went a little out of line with his prediction that the Brit would eventually go on a never-seen-before heavyweight run—while giving no chance to 265-lb contender Jailton Almeida, who’s facing Alexander Volkov at UFC 321.

In a leaked video conversation, ‘DC’ was caught saying, “These matchups in this division, like, do you know what type of f—g run you can go on? It would be crazy. You can like change your life. Because I mean, what is it? Jailton Almeida is fighting [Volkov]. Jailton can’t fight. [Even if Volkov wins], you beat him in the first round. It could get f—g crazy.”

Now, that’s something that really rubbed some fans the wrong way, as they felt the former champ went a little too far with his comments. But at the same time, he’s also getting some support from fans, pointing out that Aspinall has already taken down every top heavyweight except Gane and Almeida.

So, these were some of the storylines that caught the fans’ attention. And as we’re only a few hours away from watching some awesome scraps at UFC 321, which story did you find the most interesting? Let us know in the comments section below.