Tom Aspinall to defend UFC heavyweight title Oct. 25 vs. Ciryl Gane

Posted by Brett Okamoto | 13 hours ago | Sport | Views: 10


  • Brett OkamotoJul 23, 2025, 12:06 AM

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      Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

Tom Aspinall’s first defense of the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight championship will come against Ciryl Gane on Oct. 25, UFC CEO Dana White announced Tuesday.

The heavyweight championship bout will headline UFC 321 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Aspinall (15-3) was elevated to the UFC’s undisputed champion last month, after former champion Jon Jones elected to retire rather than face him.

Aspinall won the interim title in November 2023 and even made a rare interim title defense last July while waiting for Jones to agree to face him. Jones announced his retirement last month, only to immediately suggest he intends to come back in 2026.

Aspinall, of England, is 8-1 in the UFC with seven first-round finishes. His only loss came against Curtis Blaydes in 2022, when he suffered a freak knee injury just 15 seconds into the contest.

Gane (13-2), of France, is a former interim champion. He won the interim title over Derrick Lewis in 2021, but he came up short in a bid to unify against then-champion Francis Ngannou in 2022.



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