By the time referee Jason Herzog waved off the main event of UFC 321, the sound that filled Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena wasn’t cheers; it was confusion. Thirteen thousand fans had packed the venue expecting a new era of heavyweight dominance, but instead, they got 4 minutes and 35 seconds of brilliance followed by disbelief.

Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed title defense ended not with a knockout, but with an accident, a double eye poke from Ciryl Gane that left the British champion unable to see. And yet, before chaos struck, there was something brewing inside the Octagon. Something subtle.

For the first time since Jon Jones’ abrupt retirement ended his reign, the UFC heavyweight division had life. Gane looked different, composed, sharp, and deliberate. Aspinall, usually a storm in motion, found himself reacting instead of dictating. So, was Ciryl Gane on his way to an upset before fate intervened? Let’s break it down!

Ciryl Gane vs Tom Aspinall  – Could the Frenchman have pulled off a win at UFC 321 without the eye-poke?

Coming into UFC 321, the narrative was simple: Aspinall’s wrestling would be the deciding factor. After all, Gane’s last defeat, a quick submission loss to Jon Jones at UFC 285, had exposed a glaring weakness in his ground defense. But in Abu Dhabi, that weakness seemed like a thing of the past.

During the post-fight press conference, the French fighter stated, “I think I started very well, because everybody knows the strategy. Every time he started really hard and surprised his opponent. I think I did very well. We defended the takedown. I touched him. We saw some blood on his nose.”

And he wasn’t exaggerating. In less than five minutes, Gane out-landed Aspinall 30 to 27 in significant strikes, landing 75% of his shots with surgical precision. His leg kicks cracked early. His jab found its rhythm. And when Aspinall tried to shoot for a takedown, the move that was supposed to separate him from every other heavyweight, Ciryl Gane shrugged it off effortlessly. That moment, brief as it was, felt like a turning point.

As Gane later shared, “I was defending the takedown. In the middle of the first round, I was feeling myself in a certain flow. I started to understand really well what was happening. I thought I would end this fight.”

The stats don’t lie. Gane was efficient. He didn’t need to rush. His style has always been one of slow suffocation, breaking opponents down piece by piece before striking with precision. He did it to Serghei Spivac, to Tai Tuivasa, and to Derrick Lewis, three men he stopped after wearing them out with distance control and patience. Against Aspinall, he was beginning to paint that same picture.

Within minutes, Aspinall’s nose was bloodied, and his movement, usually fluid, became hesitant. He’d found himself in an unfamiliar position, chasing, not leading. Gane’s defense, meanwhile, was textbook. His head movement neutralized Aspinall’s speed advantage, his footwork forced the Brit to overextend, and every counter right hand landed like punctuation.

But just as Gane seemed to be settling into a rhythm, the accidental poke halted everything as suddenly, Aspinall stumbled back, clutching his face. It was over before it truly began. For both men, UFC 321 was supposed to answer questions. Could Aspinall withstand a technically elite striker for more than a round? Could Gane prove that the Jones loss was a fluke and that he could handle pressure without folding? Ironically, in under five minutes, both fighters showed flashes of the answers.

Aspinall, for his part, didn’t look outclassed, just outpaced. He landed 27 of 39 significant strikes with a sharp 69% accuracy. But it was Ciryl Gane who dictated the tempo, keeping the fight standing and neutralizing Aspinall’s ground threat. For all the talk about takedowns, the defending champion managed just one attempt and failed. And that’s where the intrigue lies.

Had the fight continued, we may have seen Gane’s most complete performance yet, one that showcased evolution rather than regression. His timing was crisp, his distance management on point, and his composure under pressure unmatched. For once, Gane wasn’t running. He was hunting. Still, the first four and a half minutes revealed enough to fuel debate for months. Gane’s improved takedown defense and precision striking suggest he’s far from done as an elite contender. For Aspinall, the fight is unfinished business, a blemish that only a rematch can erase!

Daniel Cormier and Dana White agree on the Aspinall vs Gane rematch after UFC 321

If there’s one thing UFC 321 proved, it’s that unfinished business sells. Even with less than five minutes of action, Dana White believes Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2 is a must. Not just because of the controversy, but because, for those brief moments, the heavyweight division finally felt alive again.

Speaking at the post-fight conference, White admitted, “I feel the way everybody feels. Great showing, s—y ending. I think that after the [Jon] Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Ciryl Gane off. He looked damn good tonight. It looked like we were in for a few rounds, and it was going to be a good fight.”

The UFC boss is calling it a “total pain in the a—“ but confessed, “They’re both in shape, other than whatever’s wrong with his eye. Both guys are not injured. As soon as possible.” And Daniel Cormier agrees, watching the no-contest unfold hit close to home for the former champ-champ, as he stated, “Granted Tom was getting his in too but it was a good first round, it was competitive and it looked like we were watching the two best heavyweights in the world. I want to see them fight again as early as December if we can.”

So, Dana White and Daniel Cormier may disagree on plenty, but not on this: the rematch must happen. Ciryl Gane proved he’s evolved from the man who fell to Jon Jones, while Aspinall deserves the chance to defend his crown without controversy. One is seeking redemption, the other validation. Both have unfinished business!