Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back on the pay-per-view (PPV) market later TODAY (Sat., Oct. 25, 2025) as UFC 321 is set to go down inside Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, streaming on ESPN+ PPV. Headlining the event will be a five-round Heavyweight title fight as division champion, Tom Aspinall, takes part in his first title defense against former interim champion, Ciryl Gane. In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern will throw down against Virna Jandiroba for the second time, though the vacant women’s Strawweight title will be on the line this go around.
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC 321: “Aspinall vs. Gane”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC 321? Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane Heavyweight title fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC 321? TONIGHT (Sat., Oct. 25, 2025), beginning at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where will UFC 321 take place? Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi
How can I watch UFC 321? The ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET, before the main card start time at 2 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
Where can I get UFC 321 updates and results? Get full UFC 321 play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
Jon Jones is not walking through that door…unless it’s for a big fight at the White House. That said, we need to start moving on from his short-lived reign as UFC Heavyweight champion and start focusing on the man who is set to lead the way into the future. And according to this former 265-pound title holder it’s going to be for a very, very long time. For now, Aspinall is set to defend his belt for the first time against Gane, a former interim title holder who wants the real taste of being undisputed. With a record of 8-1 under the UFC banner, his lone loss inside the Octagon was a result of a devastating knee injury (relive it here). Once he recovered from his injury, he returned to his head-hunting ways to secure three straight first-round finishes. Gane has never been stopped by knockout, but the hard-hitting British champion is confident he can do it in record time. Aspinall has the tools and skills to be a dominant champion for a while, but he needs to get his first defense under his belt.
The last time we saw Gane in a title fight he was getting choked out by “Bones” in just over two minutes into the fight (video replay here). He did bounce back nicely by winning two straight, which earned him the chance to get back into another title fight. And he will have his work cut out for him because while he is an accomplished striker himself, Aspinall has proven to not only have power, but the speed of a Middleweight that can catch anyone off guard. Gane has never had the best movement inside the cage, and he relies on his power to get the job done. That simply won’t be enough against someone like Aspinall because the man has shown little weakness inside the cage. Gane promised to take his foe into deep waters, but Aspinall has never gone the distance in his UFC career, and has only made it to the second round once. I don’t foresee this fight ending too quickly, but I also don’t think the judges will be needed.
Aleksandar Rakic has seen better days. “Rocket” is currently on a three-fight losing streak with his last win coming in March of 2021 so he is in desperate need of a win when he goes up against Azmat Murazakanov, who is undefeated at 15-0, including going 5-0 under the UFC banner. A win over Rakic may not hold a ton of weight as it would have a few years ago due to his losing streak, but it would still be a decent notch on his belt. For Rakic, getting a victory is of the utmost importance to prevent him from falling out of the Top 10. That said, the pairing is a bit off to me. We have a fighter going downhill in a hurry with three straight defeats, and one trending upward who is undefeated. I don’t like the matchup in that aspect.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady and Matheus Camilo were expected to throw down in a Lightweight bout on the prelims, but Al-Selwady pulled out a few days before the fight due to undisclosed medical issues. As a result, Camilo was take off the event altogether.
After stints in Bellator and Professional Fighters League (PFL), Louie Sutherland will finally bring his talents to the Octagon. He is currently on a four-fight win streak but he is in for a tough fight in his debut because he will be taking on Valter Walker, who has won three straight fights after stumbling out of the gates with a loss in his UFC debut against Lukasz Brzeski. For Sutherland, getting a win right off the bat over someone like Walker is a nice way to make his entrance to the big show in order to put everyone in the division on notice.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
In Middleweight action, Ikram Aliskerov will face off against Jun Yong Park. Aliskerov is 3-1 under the UFC banner with his lone loss coming against former champion, Robert Whittaker, though he was last seen defeating Andre Muniz earlier this year. Interestingly enough, Park’s last loss came at the hands of Muniz, but he rebounded nicely by securing two straight wins immediately after.
In another 155-pound matchup, Ludovit Klein and Mateusz Rebecki will throw down to see who can get back into the win column. Klein had his four-fight win steak snapped by Mateusz Gamrot earlier this year, while Rebecki lost to Chris Duncan just two months ago, his second defeat in last three outings.
In Featherweight action, Jose Delgado will attempt to secure his eighth straight win — third inside the Octagon — when he battles longtime veteran, Nathaniel Wood, who is currently on a two-fight win streak. Wood hit a speed bump in the form of Muhammadjon Naimov, but overall he is 5-1 in his last six. Delgado, meanwhile, didn’t do himself any favors by coming in heavy for the fight, which means he will not be able to win a post-fight bonus and part of his check will go to his opponent.
It’s been over a year since we last saw Chris Barnett inside the cage, losing to Kennedy Nzechukwu via first-round TKO at UFC 308, With a record of 3-2, “Huggy Bear” needs to put together some wins if he ever wants to make his way into the Top 10. He will be facing off against Hamdy Abdelwahab, who suffered the first loss of his career in his most previous outing against Mohammed Usman this past summer.
Kicking off the undercard is a women’s Strawweight fight between Jaqueline Amorim and Mizuki Inoue. Amorim is 10-1 as a pro. She started off her UFC career with a loss but has since rattled off four straight wins. As for Inoue, she is 2-1 under the UFC banner and was last seen defeating Hannah Goldy via unanimous decision.
Azat Maksum and Mitch Raposo will throw down in a Flyweight fight that could very well be a loser leaves town match. Both men have lost two straight, with Raposo having yet to taste victory inside the Octagon. Maksum at least has a victory under the UFC banner, but either way the man who lose his third straight could be on his way out of the promotion for good. That said, it wasn’t a good look for Maksum coming in three pounds heavy, so he may be out of the promotion with a lackluster performance, even in victory.
In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba will take part in their first-ever UFC world title fight to crown a new women’s’ Strawweight champion. Dern initially defeated Jandiroba at UFC 256 five years ago, so having that victory in her back pocket is a huge confidence booster. Since that win, Dern has gone 5-4, which isn’t exactly terrible, but not that great, either. She is on a two-fight win streak and is now just one more win away from fulfilling her championship dreams. Since losing to Dern, Jandiroba has gone 6-1 with her lone loss coming at the hands of Amanda Ribas. You know Jandiroba has revenge on her mind, as well as the title. For Dern, who was once considered to be a potential face of women’s MMA under the UFC banner, a title around her waist could lead to that super stardom she has longed for her throughout her entire combat career.
Umar Nurmagomedov came up short in his bid to pry the title away from dominant Bantamweight king, Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 earlier this year, and now he is ready to get back on the horse in an attempt to make another run at the strap. His first obstacle will be against red-hot Mario Bautista, who is currently on an eight-fight win streak under the UFC banner. His last two wins came over Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix, so he is very accustomed to defeating top-caliber fighters. If he can hand Nurmagomedov his second straight defeat it will send him straight to the top of the championship line.
Jailton Almeida caught a stray from Daniel Cormier earlier this wee after he was caught on tape telling Aspinall that he “can’t fight” ahead of his showdown against Alexander Volkov. You know that got back to Almeida so he will be extra motivated to put on a winning performance against the Russian big man. Almeida has racked up an 8-1 record inside the Octagon, so it was rather odd to see “D.C.” criticize him about his fighting skills, or lack thereof. As for Volkov, he wanted to get back on track after his four-fight win streak was snapped by Gane in their last fight, which he lost via split-decision. Defeating Almeida will be a nice boost in that quest.
UFC 321 Main Event on ESPN+ PPV:
265 lbs.: UFC Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane
UFC 321 Main Card on ESPN+ PPV (2 p.m. ET):
115 lbs.: Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba for Zhang Weili’s vacated strawweight title (details here)
135 lbs.: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista
265 lbs.: Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida
205 lbs.: Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov
UFC 321 ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (10 a.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Quillan Salkilld
185 lbs.: Ikram Aliskerov vs. Jun Yong Park
155 lbs.: Ludovit Klein vs. Mateusz Rebecki
155 lbs.: Matheus Camilo vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady – CANCELLED (details here)
265 lbs.: Valter Walker vs. Louie Sutherland
145 lbs.: Nathaniel Wood vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
265 lbs.: Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Chris Barnett
125 lbs.: Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo
115 lbs.: Jaqueline Amorim vs. Mizuki Inoue
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*
UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view (PPV) action on Sat., Oct. 25, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 321 from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In UFC 321’s PPV main event, Heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, defends his title against top-ranked contender, Ciryl Gane, in a high-stakes, five-round bout. UFC 321’s PPV co-main event features a women’s Strawweight title showdown between Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern. UFC 321 will also showcase a Bantamweight clash between Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista, a Heavyweight bout pitting Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida, a Light Heavyweight matchup featuring Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov, and much more! UFC 321’s start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 12 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 2 p.m. ET (PPV main card).
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 321 fight card, starting with the ESPN+/Disney+/FX “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET, before the main card start time at 2 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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