TLDR
- Tom Aspinall makes his first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane on October 25 at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi
- Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern will fight for the vacant strawweight title in the co-main event
- Umar Nurmagomedov faces Mario Bautista in a bantamweight bout after losing his first career fight
- The event takes place at Etihad Arena with an earlier start time of 2:00 p.m. ET
- Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida and Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov round out the main card
UFC Confirms Five-Fight Main Card for Abu Dhabi Event
The UFC announced the complete main card for UFC 321 on Saturday. The event takes place October 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Tom Aspinall headlines the card in his first defense of the undisputed heavyweight championship. He faces former interim heavyweight titleholder Ciryl Gane in the main event.
Aspinall received the belt after Jon Jones retired earlier this year. The British fighter hasn’t competed since defeating Curtis Blaydes on July 27, 2024.
Gane brings experience as a former interim champion to the bout. The matchup presents a major test for Aspinall’s first title defense.
The co-main event features two top strawweights competing for the vacant title. Virna Jandiroba will face Mackenzie Dern for the championship.
The title became vacant after Zhang Weili moved up to flyweight. Zhang left the division to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at 125 pounds.
Bantamweight Contender Returns After Title Loss
Umar Nurmagomedov returns to the octagon for the first time since his title fight loss. He faces Mario Bautista in a bantamweight contest at UFC 321.
Nurmagomedov fell short against UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. The defeat marked the first loss of his professional career, dropping his record to 18-1.
Bautista enters the fight riding an eight-fight winning streak. The matchup carries major implications for the bantamweight division rankings.
Two heavyweight fighters will clash in the fourth bout on the main card. Alexander Volkov meets Jailton Almeida in a pivotal division matchup.
The card concludes with a light heavyweight battle. Aleksandar Rakic faces Azamat Murzakanov in the fifth main card fight.
The UFC 321 main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ at 2:00 p.m. ET. This represents an earlier start time than the typical UFC pay-per-view schedule.
Preliminary card fights begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN+, Disney+, and FX. The early prelims start time has not been announced.
The confirmed preliminary card includes several international fighters. Ikram Aliskerov faces Park Jun-yong in a middleweight bout.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady takes on Matheus Camilo at lightweight. Hamdy Abdelwahab meets Chris Barnett in a heavyweight contest.
Azat Maksum battles Mitch Raposo at flyweight. Jaqueline Amorim faces Mizuki Inoue in a women’s strawweight fight on the prelims.
The Las Vegas-based promotion returns to Abu Dhabi with an intriguing lineup. UFC 321 marks another international event for the organization in the Middle East.
UFC 321 Complete Fight Card
Main Card (2:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV)
- Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane – UFC heavyweight title
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern – Vacant UFC women’s strawweight title
- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista – Bantamweight
- Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida – Heavyweight
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov – Light heavyweight
Preliminary Card (10:00 a.m. ET on ESPN+, Disney+, FX)
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Park Jun-yong – Middleweight
- Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Matheus Camilo – Lightweight
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Chris Barnett – Heavyweight
- Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo – Flyweight
- Jaqueline Amorim vs. Mizuki Inoue – Women’s strawweight
Early Prelims (Time TBA)
- To be announced
