The UFC will host its 22nd Abu Dhabi show this weekend when Tom Aspinall defends his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in the headline bout.
With a stacked card and much more happening throughout fight week, here is everything you need to know about UFC 321.
What is it?
UFC 321 is a mixed martial arts event from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The event will be headlined by the heavyweight title fight between champion Tom Aspinall and No 1-ranked Ciryl Gane. There will be a total of 12 fights – five on the main card and seven on the preliminary card.
Where is it?
Fight night will be held at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It will be the 10th UFC event staged at the venue.
When is it?
UFC 321 takes place this Saturday, October 25. The preliminary card is scheduled to begin from 6pm UAE time, with the main card expected to start around 10pm.
Who are the headline fighters?
Aspinall was anointed UFC heavyweight champion after previous incumbent Jon Jones announced his retirement in June.
Aspinall, whose record stands at 15 wins against three losses, was already the division's interim champion having beaten Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
He was successful in his first title defence, securing a first-round KO of Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. With it, the Englishman avenged his only loss in the UFC, having suffered a knee injury during their first encounter in 2022 after only 15 seconds.
That was the only setback in what has been an impressive win streak for Aspinall since signing for the world's lead MMA organisation in 2020, winning 11 of 12 bouts.
Gane has twice fought for the undisputed heavyweight title and came up short both times. He was dominated by Francis Ngannou for most of the five rounds at UFC 270 before tapping out to Jones at UFC 285.
The Frenchman (13 wins, 2 losses) has two victories since losing to Jones, over Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. The latter was fiercely disputed, with many observers believing Volkov came out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This will be Gane's third crack at winning UFC gold.
Who is on the rest of the card?
The undercard sees women's top-ranked strawweight Virna Jandiroba up against fellow Brazilian Mackenzie Dern.
Jandiroba rides a five-fight win streak while fifth-ranked Dern is looking to put herself in title contention following wins over Loopy Godinez and Amanda Ribas.
Also on the main card, Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia, who suffered a first loss in 19 fights earlier this year to men's UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili, takes on the fast-rising American Mario Bautista (16-2).
Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov (38-11) will be keen to catch the eye ahead of the Aspinall-Gane main event when he takes on Brazil's Jailton Almeida (22-3).
Rounding out the main card is Serbia's Aleksandar Rakic (14-5) up against Azamat Murzakanov of Russia at light heavyweight.
What else is happening during fight week?
There are two UFC Fan Experiences to attend throughout the week, one at Yas Mall (Monday-Saturday and the other at Yas Bay Plaza (Wednesday-Sunday). The events are free and open to the public. Fans can get involved in immersive experiences and buy UFC merchandise at the stores.
Timings:
Yas Mall - Monday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm; Friday and Saturday from 10am to midnight
Yas Bay Plaza - Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 4-10pm; Friday, 4pm to midnight; Saturday, 4pm to 2am
Fans can attend the public workout on Wednesday at Yas Mall's Town Centre (5-7pm), where the headline and co-main event fighters will go through their paces.
The press conferences will be held on Thursday at Etihad Arena (starts 5pm) and fans are also invited to attend for free.
The weigh-ins will then take place on Friday, with the closed official weigh-ins scheduled for 9am before ceremonial weigh-ins in the evening at Etihad Arena (4-6.30pm), which are open to the public.
Are tickets still available?
Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.ae.
Is UFC 321 on TV?
The event can be watched live in the UAE on Starzplay.
