Tom Aspinall puts the undisputed heavyweight championship on the line for the first time Saturday against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
The event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, also crowded a new champion at strawweight. Mackenzie Dern outpointed Virna Jandiroba in a five-round battle in which both fighters looked strong but Dern was more accurate and stronger defensively. It is now the second time Dern has defeated Jandiroba by unanimous decision. This is Dern’s 16th career win and third in a row. Jandiroba moves to 22-4, with all her losses coming by decision.
Aspinall (15-3) has won three fights in a row, all in 1 minute, 13 seconds or faster. He is No. 4 in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
For Gane (13-2), this is his third UFC heavyweight title challenge. A winner of two fights in a row, he is No. 2 in the ESPN heavyweight top 10.
Jandiroba (22-3) and Dern (15-5) met in 2020, with Dern winning a unanimous decision. Jandiroba is No. 10 in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings and No. 2 at strawweight. Dern is No. 6 at 115 pounds.
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Jeff Wagenheim and Dre Waters are following all of the action.
