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And honestly, who doesn’t? Jon Jones’ retirement earlier this year left a crater in the heavyweight landscape. Aspinall’s coronation as undisputed champ should have restored order. Instead, UFC 321 plunged the division back into uncertainty. With Jones gone, and contenders like Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes already beaten by Aspinall, the rematch with Gane feels less like an option and more like a necessity. Before the eye poke, both men looked razor-sharp. Gane’s jab and leg kicks were precise, his right hand found Aspinall’s nose early, and his movement was crisp. Aspinall, for his part, found success with speed and pressure, even shooting for a takedown that Gane managed to shrug off. It was technical, tactical, and intense, everything fans expect from elite heavyweights. So what happens now? Well, Daniel Cormier isn’t the only one who thinks a rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane is the logical next step! Dana White frustrated with UFC 321 main event ending as he confirms interest in booking the rematch UFC CEO Dana White echoed the sentiment, though his tone carried a mix of admiration and frustration. The night was supposed to crown a dominant champion, not end in medical confusion and fan outrage. As such, at the post-fight press conference, the UFC boss stated, “I feel the way everybody feels. Great showing, sh— 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.” Still, the controversy didn’t end when the bell rang. As Tom Aspinall clutched his eye and refused to continue, boos echoed through the Etihad Arena. Some fans even speculated that the champion chose not to restart because Gane was gaining momentum. Was that fair criticism, or just the emotional backlash of a crowd robbed of closure? White, for his part, refused to join the witch hunt as he further confessed, “I can’t make people fight. If I want to put together a fight, I can’t make people fight. You definitely can’t make somebody continue if they feel they’ve been injured. Only Tom knows what happened. Could he see? Couldn’t he see? Could he continue? Only he knows that.” Within minutes, Aspinall was rushed to a local hospital. The result, a no-contest, left the division in limbo once again. Yet even amid the chaos, White was quick to outline the path forward as he shared, “Total pain in the a– but yes [we’ll book the rematch]. They’re both in shape, other than whatever’s wrong with his eye. Both guys are not injured. As soon as possible.” So, Daniel Cormier wants it. Dana White has all but confirmed it. And truthfully, it’s hard to argue against it. The heavyweight division, already bruised by inactivity and retirements, needs clarity. More importantly, it needs closure.
