Tom Aspinall finally reveals opponent for first defence of UFC title

Tom Aspinall will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall hasn't stepped into the ring since he defended his interim heavyweight belt against Curtis Blaydes last July in Manchester. After Jon Jones successfully defended the gold belt against Stipe Miocic last November, many speculated the American would face off against Aspinall in 2025.

However, 'Bones' didn't publicly commit to fighting the Brit, leading fans to demand that the American be stripped of his title. Last month, Jones announced his retirement from the sport and Aspinall was officially promoted to undisputed champion.

After months of anticipation, the 32 year old now has a fight and will take on Gane in the main event at UFC 321 on October 25 in Abu Dhabi - as confirmed by UFC boss Dana White.

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It's been a rollercoaster few years for Gane since he suffered his first professional defeat to Francis Ngannou back in 2022. The Frenchman bounced back in his next fight against Tai Tuivasa before falling short in his second title fight against Jones, reports All Out Fighting.

The 35 year old then defeated Serghei Spivac in Paris back in September 2023. After taking a year-long break, the Frenchman returned to the cage last December, taking on Alexander Volkov.

Gane emerged victorious, but the bout was overshadowed by controversy after many felt the Russian had done enough to win. Gane will be seeking to become world champion in his third attempt at the undisputed title. Whilst there were doubts surrounding the French heavyweight's previous outing, the same certainly cannot be said for Aspinall - who has been on a remarkable run in the UFC.

Following a crushing injury in his initial bout with Blaydes, the Brit made his comeback after a year-long absence in 2023 and stopped Marcin Tybura. He subsequently captured the interim championship just months afterwards, defeating the formidable Sergei Pavlovich in barely over a minute.

It has been more than a year since supporters have witnessed the Brit compete and he will be eager to compensate for the time lost. Despite declaring his retirement, Jones disclosed merely weeks afterwards that he has rejoined the testing programme and may be eyeing the victor ahead of his possible comeback next year.

'Bones' voiced his ambition to fight on the White House card next July, but White has dismissed the notion. During Saturday evening's UFC 318 post-fight press conference, White appeared to dash Jones' ambitions to feature on the historic fight card. "I can't risk putting him (Jones) in big positions, in a big spot and have something go wrong," said White. Especially the White House card."

With Jones sidelined temporarily and Miocic having hung up his gloves, many are wondering if the UFC's heavyweight division has lost its spark, but Aspinall reckons the weight class remains as thrilling as ever. Speaking to All Out Fighting last month, he declared: "Every fight is different, so even if I have beaten somebody before, it is still exciting for me to fight in. It's heavyweight MMA, so, even though it might seem a bit stagnant, as soon as the guys get active again, it will be good!".

White's Tuesday evening revelation about Aspinall wasn't the only bombshell the UFC chief dropped. The American also confirmed that Merab Dvalishvili will square off against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 on 4 October in Las Vegas. Additionally on the card, Alex Pereira will attempt to reclaim his light-heavyweight crown from Magomed Ankalaev, whilst a tantalising bout at 205lbs pits Khalil Rountree against Jiri Prochazka at the same event.

When is Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane?

Aspinall's encounter with Gane is scheduled for October 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The duo's battle will top the UFC 321 pay-per-view bill.

Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida will also feature at the event - apparently vying for the top heavyweight challenger position. A light-heavyweight clash between Aleksandar Rakic and Azamat Murzakanov has been confirmed, with Mitch Raposo set to face off against Azat Maksum.

The remainder of the card will be revealed soon, with whispers suggesting that Islam Makhachev's super-fight with Jack Della Maddalena might be on the cards. Official start times for the fights will be announced nearer the time, but it's expected that the main event will kick off around 10pm BST.