ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Champion Tom Aspinall and top-ranked Ciryl Gane couldn’t make it through the opening round of their heavyweight main event at UFC 321 inside Etihad Arena before the match was ruled a no-contest.
Aspinall (15-3-0) and Gane (13-2-0) both came out with a lot of energy until an accidental double eye poke prompted an official timeout at the 4:35 mark of the first round.
Aspinall (15-3-0) could not see out of his right eye during the allotted five-minute break, and at 4:09 into the stoppage, the match was ruled a no-contest.
It was Aspinall’s first defense as undisputed heavyweight champion.
“What am I supposed to do about it? I can’t see,” said a disappointed Aspinall, speaking in the ring in response to the chorus of boos throughout the arena. “This is (expletive). The fight was just getting going.”
Gane dropped to his knees, also disappointed, as the ring announcer made the official announcement.
“I’m feeling sorry,” Gane said. “I’m very sorry about that.”
Aspinall was off to a fast start, as the champion wasted no time in throwing heavy shots at Gane.
Known for his elusive footwork, though, Gane showed no intimidation and stood toe-to-toe while taking command in the center of the cage.
Gane used a sharp jab to bloody the champ. And when Aspinall took his shot for a takedown, Gane successfully defended it midway through the round. When Aspinall tried to cut off the cage, Gane did a good job of circling out of it while landing jabs and low kicks.
Inside the final minute of the round, Gane continued to outstrike Aspinall until his poke to the eye.
Dern wins strawweight belt
In an intense co-main event in which both women left the cage with battered right eyes, fifth-ranked contender Mackenzie Dern (16-5-0) won the vacant strawweight belt over top-ranked Virna Jandiroba (22-4-0) with a unanimous decision.
Though both fighters had impressive moments within some tightly contested rounds, Dern’s left hand was much more effective and damaging.
Upon hearing the ring announcer announce her name as the new champ and having the belt wrapped around her waist, the 32-year-old Brazilian fell to her knees in tears.
“It feels amazing,” Dern said. “I need to see Moa. This is for Moa.”
Dern, who trains in Huntington Beach, was then joined in the cage by her 6-year-old daughter, Moa, who draped the UFC belt over her shoulder.
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From the undercard:
No. 2 Umar Nurmagomedov (19-1-0) earned a unanimous decision over No. 8 Mario Bautista (16-3-0) in a battle of top-ranked bantamweights.
Second-ranked heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov (39-11-0) won by split decision over No. 5 Jailton Almeida (22-4-0)
In the light heavyweight division, 10th-ranked Azamat Murzakanov (16-0-0) made quick work of No. 7 Aleksandar Rakic (14-6-0). Murzakanov’s first-round stoppage extended the second-longest active UFC win streak in the division to six consecutive wins.
