Tom Aspinall Will Defend His UFC Heavyweight Title Against Ciryl Gane
The undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, will make his first title defense against Ciryl Gane on October 25th. This was announced by UFC CEO Dana White on Tuesday.
This highly anticipated championship fight will headline UFC 321, which will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Aspinall (15-3) ascended to the undisputed title last month, after former champion Jon Jones’s decision to retire rather than face him.
Aspinall won the interim title in November 2023 and even made a defense of the interim title last July, while waiting for Jones to agree to fight him. Jones announced his retirement last month, but immediately hinted at his intention to return in 2026.
The English fighter, Aspinall, has an 8-1 record in the UFC, with seven first-round finishes. His only loss came against Curtis Blaydes in 2022, when he suffered a knee injury 15 seconds into the fight.
Gane (13-2), from France, is a former interim champion. He won the interim title against Derrick Lewis in 2021, but failed to unify the title against then-champion Francis Ngannou in 2022.
