Tom Aspinall's fight against Cyril Gane ended disastrously, but at least the inconclusive finish sets the stage for an immediate rematch. For more than four minutes, Gane dominated the undisputed champion, but an errant blow to the eye led to an unceremonious end to the UFC 321 main event.
Aspinall vs. Gane ended in a no contest after Aspinall's vision was impaired on Saturday. Fans left the arena before the official result, highlighting their disappointment. The ending, of course, was disappointing, but it saves the matchmakers from setting up a title fight that few people are interested in watching.
The women's strawweight division also has a new poster child after Mackenzie Dern wins vacant title. Former champion Zhang Weili is preparing to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at the tournament. UVK 322There is one clear contender for Dern's first title defense.
After a whirlwind UFC 321, take a look at the best fights from Saturday's stars.
Heavy weight
Tom Aspinall vs Cyril Gane: Perhaps the only good thing about Saturday's final is that the next fight will be interesting for both opponents. Alexander Volkov deserves a title shot, but his lackluster win over Jaylton Almeida and previous first-round loss to Aspinall don't inspire confidence. Gane was winning the fight until he poked Aspinall in the eye. So Gane would be a much smaller underdog or perhaps the favorite in the rematch. Let's hope Aspinall's eye heals quickly so we can check on it between November and January.
Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortez Acosta or Ante Delia: Unfortunately, the results of the main tournament call into question Volkov’s title ambitions. With only Gane ahead of him in the rankings, he doesn't have a higher ranked challenger to fight next. Volkov's best bet, unless he wants to wait it out or fight Gane for the interim title (if Aspinall needs time to recover), is to fight the winner of next week's heavyweight bout between Acosta and Delia. The winner of this fight will likely be ranked sixth and on a winning streak. It's sad that Volkov will have to prove himself in consecutive (supposedly) title eliminations, but these things happen in chaotic wrestling.
Jaylton Almeida vs. Marcin Tybura: It's hard to sell the Almeida fight at this point. He spent 15 minutes spamming single-leg takedowns and doing virtually nothing else. He deserved to lose to Volkov on Saturday. If you put a rising contender next to Almeida, they risk being suffocated by the heavyweight's wet blanket. Taibura is ranked 10th in the rankings, having suffered a knockout loss and no serious prospects of fighting for the title. This is a great low stakes fight for both.
Women's flyweight
Mackenzie Dern vs Tatiana Suarez: If Zhang Weili returns to 115 pounds after fighting Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322, she should immediately get a title shot. But Zhang is currently a flyweight fighter, so we'll leave her out of the conversation. Suarez's stock has plummeted as a result of his one-sided loss to Zhang, but there are no serious contenders in the division. Amanda Lemos, Yang Xiaonan and Jessica Andrade had victories over Dern but lost. Suarez takes first place in the division and scores a landslide victory. That's enough to earn a title shot in the current state of the division.
Virna Jandiroba vs Yasmin Lucindo or Gillian Robertson: Lucindo and Robertson will meet in a top 10 strawweight bout in December. Jandiroba will be a fitting test for the winner and victory will be a tough fight for Jandiroba. Unfortunately, Jandiroba has already fought most of her peers at the top of the division, so she will have to look further or continue to play the role of gatekeeper.
