Aspinall to defend undisputed title against Gane

On October 25th, UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi will host France’s Ciryl Gane for the first time in the title defense.

Aspinall, 32, was given the title of division champion last month when Jon Jones stepped down and took his belt.

Aspinall served as interim champion for 19 months, but Jones’ unwavering title showdown with him didn’t materialize.

15 months after Aspinall’s last fight against Curtis Blaydes, where he defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes, will he face 35-year-old Gane.

After winning the interim belt in November 2023, Manchester’s Aspinall repeatedly demanded an unrestricted title fight with Jones, but the American remained unwavering.

Aspinall waited for a potential fight in November while Jones instead defended his belt against fellow countryman Stipe Miocic before retiring seven months later.

Aspinall, who won eight of his nine fights for the promotion, came out on top with a finish. He is Britain’s first heavyweight champion.

Although Gane was the previous UFC interim heavyweight champion, he twice lost in the fight for the undisputed title, in 2022 when he faced Jones and Francis Ngannou.

In a weak performance, he last faced Russian Alexander Volkov in a December fight, which he won by a split decision.

Aspinall can now resume his career after eight months of uncertainty following his title defense against Miocic.

Aspinall, 32, may feel like he is at the height of his career, which is why he has promised to fight any challenger who might exist.

Aspinall initially wanted to fight Gane, but the plan was never realized.

In many ways, Aspinall and Gane have been praised for the speed they display at heavyweight throughout their UFC careers.

Gane primarily plays the striker, but he lacks Aspinall’s explosive knockout power. He does, however, have excellent footwork and excellent distance control.

With Ngannou submitting him in ruthless fashion in 2022 and Jones submitting him in ruthlessly in 2023, Gane’s two UFC defeats have also revealed flaws in his grappling.

Parts of Aspinall’s skill set are still unexplored because he stops his opponents so quickly (he has seven UFC first-round victories).

However, the Briton’s recent victories over Volkov and Andrei Arlovski demonstrate how dangerous they can be on the ground.