When undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Tom Aspinall stepped into the Octagon for UFC 321 on Saturday night to defend his title, he did so believing that there was a non-zero chance he could die.

Tom Aspinall's first defence of his undisputed heavyweight title ends in bitter disappointment after an accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane leaves the Briton unable to continue at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 321 went down yesterday (Sat., Oct. 25, 2025) from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates which saw the Heavyweight main event title fight end in anti-climactic fashion after Ciryl Gane inadvertently poked Tom Aspinall in the eye,

The Briton was defending the undisputed title for the first time when he was poked in both eyes simultaneously in the first round in Abu Dhabi. A five-minute break was called for him to be checked over and ultimately it was decided that he could not ...

Based on MMASalaries data, Aspinall has banked a staggering £2.3million ($3.1m) throughout his nine-bout stint in the UFC. His most recent clash against Blaydes saw the British fighter reportedly pocket a career-best £1.1m ($1.5m).