It’s incredible how much criticism heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has endured following the disaster that was last Saturday’s UFC 321 pay-per-view main event for something that wasn’t remotely his fault.
Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC), with the non-stop drama of his fruitless attempt to unify titles against former champion Jon Jones finally behind him, returned from a 15-month layoff to make his first undisputed title defense against former interim titleholder Cyril Gane in Abu Dhabi. But just over four minutes after the fight started, a double eye poke from Gane (13-2, 1 NC) rendered the British slugger unable to see.
The only thing worse than the heavyweight title picture being forced, once again, to stay stagnant following the no contest ruling was how many fans, media members and current or former UFC fighters (namely Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith) chose to focus their reaction to the fight around the idea that Aspinall, 32, should’ve just toughened up and fought through it.
Not only did Aspinall get viciously scratched in his left eye, leaving him unable to see after the accidental foul, replays showed that Gane’s other finger entered his right eye socket all the way down to the second knuckle in an absolutely gruesome turn of events.
A big part of the negative reaction against Aspinall was likely heightened by the fact that Gane, the 35-year-old Frenchman who entered as a massive underdog after failing miserably in a pair of title fights over the last three years, came out hot and bloodied the nose of Aspinall following a series of stiff jabs and movement.
UFC 321 fallout: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane rematch, Mackenzie Dern vs. Tatiana Suarez among fights to make
Shakiel Mahjouri
The reality is that no one truly knows what type of pain and discomfort Aspinall was feeling unless they were in his body after the foul took place (despite unscrupulous booing from the crowd against him). Furthermore, this wasn’t a random Fight Night main event.
After everything Aspinall has been through in recent years, including being jerked around as an inactive interim titleholder through Jones’ year-plus injury recovery and his eventual refusal to fight Aspinall (and short-lived retirement), there was simply too much at stake and too many factors going against Aspinall to take a gamble of this magnitude.
Not to mention, almost no one was pointing the (pardon the pun) finger back in the direction of Gane for such an egregious foul, which could’ve brought consideration from referee Jason Herzog for a disqualification, rather than a no contest.
Provided he can return quickly for a rebooking of the fight, Aspinall should have even more motivation to prove himself in the inevitable rematch. But for a pound-for-pound ranked fighter who has done almost everything right, seeing him reduced to having to defend his toughness by live streaming his doctor’s visit the following day in some ill-advised attempt to prove he wasn’t lying about the severity of the foul is something a fighter of his stature shouldn’t have to do.
Men’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Ilia Topuria — Lightweight champion
Record: 18-0 | Previous ranking: No. 1
Topuria took a massive step forward in becoming the new face of the promotion by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to capture the vacant lightweight title. The first unbeaten, two-division champion in UFC history just might have the most technical and explosive boxing skills the Octagon has ever seen. Topuria appears on his way toward becoming the biggest MMA star since Conor McGregor and is expected to headline the first major card of 2026.
2. Merab Dvalishvili — Bantamweight champion
Record: 21-4 | Previous ranking: No. 2
It’s scary to think about but, at age 34, “The Machine” only continues to get better as his 135-pound title reign continues. Five months after he outpointed unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov despite an injured back, Dvalishvili submitted former champion Sean O’Malley in their June rematch at UFC 316. A third title defense of 2025 came in October when he outpointed Cory Sandhagen. Dvalishvili’s cardio might be unlike anyone else in UFC history.
3. Islam Makhachev — Welterweight
Record: 27-1 | Previous ranking: No. 3
Makhachev chose to vacate his 155-pound title despite the presence of former featherweight king Ilia Topuria moving up to his division. At 33, Makhachev is looking to add to his increasingly legendary résumé by competing for a title in a second weight class. He will challenge new welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena this fall with a shot at equaling Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins at November’s UFC 322 card in New York.
4. Alex Pereira — Light heavyweight
Record: 12-3 | Previous ranking: No. 4
Talk about a comeback victory. The 37-year-old Brazilian slugger had looked sluggish in a decision loss against the technical Magomed Ankalaev in March. Vowing to return at full health after competing at just 40% of himself, Pereira wasted no time in finishing Ankalaev in their October rematch at UFC 320 to regain the title and call for a much-anticipated move up to heavyweight and a third title in as many divisions.
5. Khamzat Chimaev — Middleweight champion
Record: 15-0 | Previous ranking: No. 5
Despite years of inactivity due to injury, illness and bad luck, Chimaev proved at UFC 319 in August just how dangerous he truly is when fully healthy. He also shut up any critics wondering if he possessed five-round cardio by utterly dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground in a shutout decision. While many fans referred to the gameplan that Chimaev executed against DDP as boring, the performance sent a stern message to the rest of the pack at 185 pounds that Chimaev is ready to begin a new era.
6. Alexandre Pantoja — Flyweight champion
Record: 31-5 | Previous ranking: No. 6
Aging like a fine wine, the 35-year-old native of Brazil recorded his fourth title defense with a submission of Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 in June. The victory moved Pantoja into first place for most victories, finishes and submissions in flyweight history. A showdown against red-hot contender Joshua Van is next as Pantoja continues to add on to his legacy during this late career renaissance.
7. Alexander Volkanovski — Featherweight champion
Record: 27-4 | Previous ranking: No. 7
A 14-month layoff did the 36-year-old Volkanovski good as he rebounded from a pair of knockout losses to the two best fighters in the world by brilliantly outpointing Diego Lopes to capture the vacant 145-pound title at UFC 314 in April. Now a two-time champion, Volkanovski proved, even this late in his career, that skills, IQ and timing can still defeat youth and power.
8. Jack Della Maddalena — Welterweight champion
Record: 24-4, 1 NC | Previous ranking: No. 8
Despite a 14-month layoff and close victories in his previous three fights, the Australian slugger became the class of the 170-pound division with his hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May. Della Maddalena showed elite boxing and footwork yet it was his takedown defense which played the biggest role in JDM conquering such a deep division. His first title defense comes against Makhachev in November at UFC 322.
9. Dricus du Plessis — Middleweight
Record: 22-3 | Previous ranking: No. 9
As impressive as du Plessis’ first nine trips to the Octagon truly were, he proved quickly out of answers in yielding his middleweight title to unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in August. DDP simply had nothing for Chimaev on the ground and looked like a novice despite showing toughness and a willingness to keep fighting. A late rally in the closing seconds, aided by two referee standups, wasn’t enough to save face in a one-sided dismantling.
10. Tom Aspinall — Heavyweight champion
Record: 15-3 (1 NC) | Previous ranking: No. 10
The 32-year-old British slugger with some of the fastest hands the division has seen finally earned undisputed champion status when Jon Jones vacated his title and briefly retired earlier this year. Aspinall, who previously defended his interim title last summer, returned in October to defend the belt against Cyril Gane at UFC 321. Unfortunately, a double eye poke late in Round 1 comprised Aspinall’s vision and led to a no contest.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Umar Nurmagomedov, Magomed Ankalaev, Shavkat Rakhkmonov, Lerone Murphy, Max Holloway
Women’s pound-for-pound rankings
1. Valentina Shevchenko — Flyweight champion
Record: 24-4-1 | Previous ranking: No. 1
The future Hall of Famer only continued to cement her legacy even further at UFC 315 in May when she outpointed the red-hot Manon Fiorot over five rounds. The 37-year-old Shevchenko, who improved her UFC record for title wins by a female with 10, also achieved her eighth title defense by making the championship adjustments when it mattered most. A superfight against strawweight queen Zhang Weili is on tap for UFC 322 in New York.
2. Zhang Weili — Strawweight champion
Record: 25-3 | Previous ranking: No. 2
Zhang improved to 10-0 in the UFC against everyone not named Rose Namajunas when she dominated unbeaten Tatiana Suarez over five rounds at UFC 312 in February. At 35, Zhang only continues to round out her game and plans to attempt to prove so by moving up to 125 pounds in hopes of becoming a two-division champion. Zhang will challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title at UFC 322 in November.
3. Kayla Harrison — Bantamweight champion
Record: 19-1 | Previous ranking: No. 3
Despite enduring an insane cut to make championship weight of 135 pounds, Harrison dominated two-time champion Juianna Pena at UFC 316 in June to capture the women’s bantamweight title. A showdown against former champion (and former teammate) Amanda Nunes appears to be next as MMA’s female G.O.A.T. returns to the sport at age 37. Either way, Harrison’s inspirational story of persevering provided a true feel-good moment.
4. Manon Fiorot — Flyweight
Record: 13-2 | Previous ranking: No. 4
The 35-year-old native of France snapped an impressive 7-0 start to her UFC career by coming up just short in a close decision loss to champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315 in June. But, to Fiorot’s credit, her October return against a streaking Jasmine Jasudavicius was a stark reminder at how talented and title-ready she remains. Fiorot recorded a first-round TKO in a showcase of her explosive boxing skills.
5. Natalia Silva — Flyweight
Record: 19-5-1 | Previous ranking: No. 5
Unbeaten in seven trips to the Octagon, Silva earned a decision in May at UFC 315 against former champion Alexa Grasso to put the 28-year-old native of Brazil in position for a possible title shot. The dynamic striker has won 13 fights in a row overall since a 2017 loss on the regional scene to Marina Rodriguez and remains a difficult test for any flyweight given her speed, feints and accurate strikes.
Dropped out: None
Just missed: Erin Blanchfield, Mackenzie Dern, Julianna Pena, Alexa Grasso, Tatiana Suarez
