In his first official title defense, UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall retained his belt due to a no contest caused by an accidental eye poke.
Gane poked Aspinall in the eye late in the first round, and once it was deemed that the champion could not continue, the fight was called as a result of an accidental foul.
Aspinall was fighting for the first time since his first-round knockout win over Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. He was the interim heavyweight champion at the time, and many expected him to face Jon Jones in a title unification fight. Unfortunately, he was forced to endure a year-long saga filled with disappointment.
After maintaining his refusal to face Aspinall, Jones abruptly retired from the UFC in June and vacated his heavyweight title. Aspinall was elevated to undisputed heavyweight champion, and Gane was named the challenger for his first official defense.
Gane had last fought in December, earning a controversial split decision win over fellow top contender Alexander Volkov. UFC president Dana White said he apologized to Volkov following the fight, but the win on Gane’s record was enough to solidify him as the No. 1 contender.
While there wasn’t any bad blood between Aspinall and Gane leading up to Saturday’s main event, the two stars made it clear that they wouldn’t be deterred from their pursuit of greatness.
However, given that Saturday’s fight ended without a definitive winner, there is little doubt that UFC will look to run it back with an Aspinall vs. Gane rematch in the near future.
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