When Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane step into the Octagon for their heavyweight fight at UFC 321, it’d be the wrong time to leave the room to grab a beverage.
It’d be too much even to blink, at risk of missing the outcome.
Aspinall, the 32-year-old from England, has finished off his last three opponents in 60 seconds, 69 seconds and 73 seconds — by knockout. And, with Jon Jones having relinquished the heavyweight title, Aspinall is now the division’s reigning champion.
His 15-3 is misleading because he’s suffered only one clear defeat, about a decade ago. One of the other losses occurred 15 seconds into the bout when he suffered a knee injury, and the other took place when he was disqualified for an illegal downward elbow. It’s among what makes him a significant favorite against Gane.
About the only worrisome thing as he heads into this fight? He’ll be returning from a 15-month layoff.
USA TODAY Sports has everything you need to enjoy UFC 321, including updates, highlights and analysis:
UFC 321: Time, PPV, streaming for Aspinall vs Gane
The highly fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25
Location: Etihad Arena (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Prelims card start time: 10 a.m. ET
Prelims card TV: FX; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
Main card start time: 2 p.m. ET
Main card stream: ESPN+ PPV
Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription
UFC 320: Aspinall vs Gane predictions
MMA Junkie: Alexander Volkov makes prediction that can go either way
Farah Hannoun writes on behalf of Alexander Volkov predictions: ‘It depends how the fight starts, how both of them will be prepared for this fight. I saw that Gane will be motivated a lot for this fight to get the belt. It’s 50-50, but on paper, when I fought both of them, Tom Aspinall looks better. But in the fight, it could go any way.’
ESPN: Tom Aspinall
Brett Okamoto and Ian Parker write: ‘Aspinall will defend his heavyweight belt after a 15-month layoff and will do so against the No. 1 contender in Gane. On the feet, this is a 50-50 fight with Gane being the more technical kickboxer while Aspinall is the more explosive athlete with knockout power. The difference will be Aspinall’s grappling and jiu-jitsu. Gane was submitted by Jon Jones in Round 1 in March 2023, so it wouldn’t shock me if Aspinall takes that same path. Go with Aspinall to win inside the distance, and if you are feeling greedy, take him to win by submission.’
BetMGM: Aspinall via TKO/KO
Anatoly Pimentel writes: ‘I predict a TKO/KO finish for Aspinall within two rounds because of the one-punch knockout power that he has. Additionally, he has the killer instinct to finish his opponents, which is evident in his TKO/KO rate of 100%. Once the lethal right-hand punch of Aspinall lands, it significantly compromises the opposition. He’s also very accurate with his offense and does a good job of closing the distance with caution without overextending.’
Boxing News: Aspinall
Staff writes: ‘I think Tom Aspinall blitzes straight through Ciryl Gane to be quite honest,” the Australian MMA superstar said on his YouTube channel. “Whether it’s a takedown or even with the strikes. Unless you catch him [Aspinall] coming in, he’s bulldozing you. You need to try and catch Aspinall coming in and I just can’t see that happening. “It’s going to be a win for Tom Aspinall . I think he’s a heavy favorite.”
UFC 321 odds: Aspinall vs Gane fight
Odds via BetMGM as of Thursday.
Champ Tom Aspinall (-375) vs. Ciryl Gane (+290): Heavyweight title
