Ciryl Gane is preparing for another shot at the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship when he meets Tom Aspinall in the main event of UFC 321 on October 25 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi.
This will be his third attempt at the belt following setbacks in prior title fights. Despite Jon Jones retiring earlier this year, Gane suggests the former champion may still have a rooting interest in Saturday’s clash.
Jon Jones’ Possible Interest
Speaking to Full Send MMA, Gane acknowledged that Jones might quietly favor him due to prior tension with Aspinall.
“Maybe, because I think Tom disrespected him a little bit,” Gane said. “So maybe he’s going to be on my side. Maybe, but yes, he retired, now it’s our turn, and we will see this Saturday. Every time when you have a new challenge, you have a new experience. I got some big losses. We’re talking about Jon Jones. I learned a lot from this fight, really. I fixed a lot of things from this fight. I grew up, my mindset is really different since this fight, and I was already detached from it.”
Gane lost to Jones via submission at UFC 285, but he describes that fight as a major learning moment that shaped his current strategy and approach.
Main event media 👀@AspinallMMA | @Ciryl_Gane | #UFC321
[ SAT OCT 25 | 2pmET on @ESPN PPV | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/H2vd5qRmU8
— UFC (@ufc) October 22, 2025
Focusing on Himself, Not the Odds
While Gane is entering the fight as the underdog, he stresses that he is unaffected by betting lines or outside opinions.
“For the people who know me, I’m really not focused on the outside, what the people think, the bettors,” Gane said. “I only focus on myself and on my strengths. If you want to do a real statistic, you must understand all of my career, all of his career, the opponent, how he finished, and day after day I can see the opinion of the people changing a little bit because when you think a little bit more, you see, okay, it’s not going to be an easy fight.”
UFC 321 Full Card Highlights
UFC 321 takes place this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Main Event: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane — five-round heavyweight title fight
Co-Main Event: Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern — women’s strawweight title
Other notable bouts: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista, Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida, Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Event Times:
The event will begin with early prelims at 10 a.m. ET, followed by prelims at 12 p.m. ET, and the PPV main card starting at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can expect a stacked card with multiple high-stakes fights leading up to the headline clash between Gane and Aspinall.
