Dana White provides update on potential Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2 following anticlimactic UFC 321 ending

Dana White recently gave his thoughts on a potential rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane after a disappointing ending to their title fight at UFC 321.

Aspinall defended his undisputed heavyweight title for the first time against Gane in the main event of UFC 321 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Everyone in the audience was excited to see the heavyweight showdown.

However, at the end of the first round, Gane delivered an unintended eye poke, leaving the Brit unable to continue. After a lengthy break, referee in charge Jason Herzog declared it a no contest, prompting a hostile reaction from the crowd.

In the post-fight presser, White voiced his displeasure with the fight outcome:

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''I feel the way everybody feels. Great showing, shi*ty ending. I think that after the [Jon] Jones fight, a lot of people wrote Ciryl Gane off. He looked damn good tonight. It looked like we were in for a few rounds, and it was going to be a good fight. I can’t make people fight. If I want to put together a fight, I can’t make people fight. You definitely can’t make somebody continue if they feel they’ve been injured. Only Tom knows what happened. Could he see? Couldn’t he see? Could he continue? Only he knows that.''

When asked about his opinion on a potential rematch following Aspinall's recovery, the UFC CEO responded:

''Total pain in the a*s but yes [we’ll book the rematch]. They’re both in shape, other than whatever’s wrong with his eye. Both guys are not injured. As soon as possible...I think that there probably will be a lot more interest in the rematch after they saw he had Tom bloodied up. Tom didn’t want to continue in the fight. The rematch is very interesting.''

Check out Dana White's comments below (31:10):

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Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

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He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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