For the first time in 11 months, the UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Championship will be on the line as Tom Aspinall defends it against former Interim Champion Ciryl Gane in the Main Event of UFC 321. Jon Jones last defended the Undisputed title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. But Jones retired, making Tom Aspinall the new Undisputed Champion, as he previously held the Interim title.
The co-main event is a vacant Women’s Strawweight title bout between No. 1 Virna Jandiroba vs. No. 5 Mackenzie Dern. Zhang Weili, the previous 115-pound champion, is moving up to the Flyweight division to take on Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Dern is a -148 favorite while Jandiroba is a +124 underdog.
Tom Aspinall hasn’t fought since July 2024. But his layoff is to no fault of his own. Aspinall agreed to face Jon Jones, but Jones refused and retired. Aspinall became UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion via an announcement from Dana White at a press conference in June. Even though he didn’t become Undisputed inside the UFC Octagon, it doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of it. Aspinall is nearly the perfect UFC fighter. He is a cerebral finisher with a versatile skill set that is devastating for opponents.
Aspinall is 15-3 with 15 finishes, and 14 of them have occurred in the first round. Aspinall is 8-1 in the UFC, with his lone loss coming against Curtis Blaydes in 2022. But Aspinall tore his MCL 15 seconds into that fight with Blaydes. When Aspinall is at 100%, he hasn’t just been great; he’s been generational. Every test that has come his way, he has gotten through in spectacular fashion.
Aspinall has the talent and skills to go down as the greatest UFC Heavyweight Champion in history. That may sound like an overreaction, given the UFC legends who have held that title, but it is a testament to Aspinall’s greatness. But before that can be achieved, Aspinall has a big title defense on Saturday against former Interim Champion Gane. Although Gane has held Interim gold, he has been unsuccessful in two attempts to claim an Undisputed title. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Apsinall is a -345 favorite while Gane is a +275 underdog.
No. 2 Umar Nurmagomedov attempts to get back in the win column against No. 8 Mario Bautista, who is riding an eight-fight unbeaten streak. Nurmagomedov is the largest favorite on this card, at -625, with Bautista being a +455 underdog.
The first of two Heavyweight bouts on this card is between No. 2 Alexander Volkov and No. 5 Jailton Almeida. Although it isn’t officially a No. 1 contender fight, the winner of this contest very well could challenge the winner of the Main Event. Almeida, who is 8-1 in the UFC, is a -185 favorite while Volkov is +154.
The opening bout of the UFC 321 Main Card is another matchup between two top 10 contenders, No. 7 Aleksandar Rakic and No. 10 Azamat Murzakanov. Rakic hasn’t won a fight since March 2021, while Murzakanov has an undefeated record of 15-0. Even though he has struggled lately, Rakic is still the favorite in this matchup at -118, with Murzakanov being a -102 underdog.
How to Watch
This week’s UFC 321 PPV airs live on ESPN+ PPV at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Prelims for this event begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN+, Disney+, and FX.
Main Card
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| (C) Tom Aspinall vs. #1 Ciryl Gane Main Event: Heavyweight Title Fight | 15-3 (8-1 UFC) vs. 13-2 (10-2 UFC) | Heavyweight | -345 vs. +275 |
| #1 Virna Jandiroba vs. #5 Mackenzie Dern Women’s Strawweight Title Fight | 22-3 (8-3 UFC) vs. 15-5 (10-5 UFC) | Women’s Strawweight | +124 vs. -148 |
| #2 Umar Nurmagomedov vs. #8 Mario Bautista | 18-1 (6-1 UFC) vs. 16-2 (10-2 UFC) | Bantamweight | -625 vs. +455 |
| #2 Alexander Volkov vs. #5 Jailton Almeida | 38-11 (12-5 UFC) vs. 22-3 (8-1 UFC) | Heavyweight | +154 vs. -185 |
| #7 Aleksandar Rakic vs. #10 Azamat Murzakanov | 14-5 (6-4 UFC) vs. 15-0 (5-0 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -118 vs. -102 |
Prelims
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Nasrat Haqparast vs. Quillan Salkilld | 18-5 (10-4 UFC) vs. 9-1 (2-0 UFC) | Lightweight | -102 vs. -118 |
| Ikram Aliskerov vs. JunYong Park | 16-2 (3-1 UFC) vs. 19-6 (9-3 UFC) | Middleweight | -225 vs. +185 |
| Ludovit Klein vs. Mateusz Rebecki | 23-5-1 (7-3-1 UFC) vs. 20-3 (4-2 UFC) | Lightweight | -135 vs. +114 |
| #15 Valter Walker vs. Louie Sutherland | 14-1 (3-1 UFC) vs. 10-3 | Heavyweight | -395 vs. +310 |
| Nathaniel Wood vs. Jose Delgado | 21-6 (9-3 UFC) vs. 10-1 (2-0 UFC) | Featherweight | +124 vs. -148 |
| Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Chris Barnett | 6-1 (1-1 UFC) vs. 23-9 (2-3 UFC) | Heavyweight | -500 vs. +380 |
| Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo | 15-2 (1-2 UFC) vs. 9-3 (0-2 UFC) | Flyweight | -500 vs. +380 |
| Jaqueline Amorim vs. Mizuki | 10-1 (4-1 UFC) vs. 15-6 (2-1 UFC) | W Strawweight | -395 vs. +310 |
