"Some might have predicted a first-round stoppage when Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane met in the main event of UFC 321 on Saturday, but no one could have foreseen the stoppage being because of an incidental eye poke. It was, to be frank, a bummer to see Aspinall's highly anticipated first title defense end in a no contest after a main card that already had placed a new champion atop the strawweight division,"
"The UFC 321 headliner will almost certainly be rescheduled immediately -- maybe even this year -- but would it have ever happened in the first place if the UFC hadn't spent so much time pairing Jon Jones with Stipe Miocic in 2023? Brett Okamoto has to wonder. Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim also posit that the conditions are right for Mackenzie Dern to make an extended reign at strawweight and that Umar Nurmagomedov could get another title shot sooner rather than later."
Tom Aspinall's first title defense at UFC 321 ended in a no contest after an incidental eye poke in the main event against Ciryl Gane. The outcome disappointed many and halted a highly anticipated heavyweight clash. The main card had already produced a new strawweight champion, a likely No. 1 contender at men's bantamweight, and suggested the next challenger for the Aspinall-Gane winner. The UFC 321 headliner will almost certainly be rescheduled, possibly later this year. Critics said the Jones vs. Miocic pairings in 2023 contributed to stagnation in the heavyweight division. Conditions are right for Mackenzie Dern to make an extended reign at strawweight and for Umar Nurmagomedov to receive another title shot sooner rather than later.
Read at ESPN.com
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