In Abu Dhabi’s return, there were plenty of interesting moments to witness for MMA fans. While the numbered event wasn’t full of stoppage victories, it showcased plenty of high-level battles.
Two title bouts took place in the Etihad Arena, with one crowning a champion and the other ending in tragedy.
Here is everything that happened in the unmissable action of UFC 321.
Aspinall vs Gane Ends in a No-Contest
European fans were full of hype when England took on France in the headliner for the heavyweight belt.
Tom Aspinall was looking to make his first undisputed title defence after Jon Jones’ retirement.
Ciryl Gane prepared for his third undisputed title shot, hoping, for the third time, to become the King of the Heavyweights.
It was an expected fight which was bound to happen, which brought a lot of attention to the build-up.
The first round saw quite a surprise as the underdog, Gane, was landing more of the clean strikes.
With less than 30 seconds of round one, ‘Bon Gamin’ unintentionally poked both of Aspinall’s eyes.
Despite being given some time, the champion could not see, and the main event was stopped as a no-contest.
A very frustrating ending for both fighters, but White will make sure that a rematch is booked as soon as possible.
It’s the first and only time in UFC history that a title bout has ended as a no-contest.
Dern Becomes Queen of the 115lbs Division
After Zhang Weili vacated her Strawweight title for a challenge in the weight class above, it was Brazil vs Brazil for the vacant belt.
Virna Jandiroba earned her position after going on a five-fight win streak, previously defeating Yan Xiaonan at UFC 314.
Mackenzie Dern claimed her title shot after earning back-to-back victories with a submission triumph against Amanda Ribas at UFC Vegas 101.
Both women faced each other before at UFC 256, with Dern winning by unanimous decision.
Throughout the five rounds, ‘Carcara’ was landing plenty of takedowns despite not getting much from them.
While not showing a threat on the ground like she used to, Dern was effective on the feet, inflicting significant damage on Jandiroba.
As the scorecards were read aloud, the Phoenix-born fighter was announced as the winner in a strawweight classic.
The new UFC Strawweight Champion will be looking closely at who she will defend her title against first.
Nurmagomedov Redeems First MMA Loss
What was presumed to be a bantamweight title eliminator turned into an intriguing battle at 135lbs.
Umar Nurmagomedov was on the hunt for redemption after suffering a title defeat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311.
Mario Bautista hoped to extend his eight-fight win streak and secure a title shot, currently ranked #9.
What looked to be a convincing win for the Russians would not be the case, as the Americans brought a huge challenge.
Nurmagomedov dominated on the mat in the first round, despite struggles with his striking.
Bautista managed to knock down the Dagestan fighter with a knee, later sprawling with his wrestling.
Eventually, the #2 contender found his rhythm in his strike, landing some key significant punches and kicks.
Nurmagomedov’s unanimous decision win was not comfortable, but it leaves fans questioning if he should get the next title opportunity.
Other Moments from UFC 321
Alexander Volkov claimed a close split decision win over Jailton Almeida in what some considered a heavyweight title eliminator.
The Russian did more damage in the three-round bout, which is what swayed the judges’ scorecards.
Azamat Murzakanov made himself a bigger threat at light heavyweight after knocking out Aleksandar Rakic.
‘The Professional’ landed a powerful step-in jab before one follow-up shot did the job and moved the #10 contender up the rankings.
Quillan Salkilld became the lightweight’s biggest prospect after a brutal knockout against Nasrat Haqparast.
The Australian landed a vicious head kick in the first round, flatlining his opponent onto the canvas.
Ikram Aliskerov earned a comfortable win over Park Jun-yong, beating the South Korean by unanimous decision.
The Russian made it his second consecutive win, hoping to get a shot at entering the middleweight top 15.
In a wild and bloody war, Ludovit Klein claimed a majority decision win despite a broken ankle at the end of round three.
While Mateusz Rebecki did suffer the loss, he did walk away with his third consecutive Fight of the Night bonus.
Valter Walker amazed the whole MMA community again after stopping debutant Louie Sutherland.
‘The Clean Monster’ won by first-round Heel Hook for the fourth time in a row.
Nathaniel Wood edged a close unanimous decision win against Jose Delgado, especially after a back-and-forth first round.
Hamdy Abdelwahab returned to the win column after claiming a decision win over Chris Barnett.
Mitch Raposo earned an underdog victory when he defeated Azat Maksum by unanimous decision, grabbing his first UFC win.
Mizuki Inoue began her win streak after shocking MMA fans with a grand performance to win by unanimous decision against Jaqueline Amorim.