UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi: main event ends in a No Contest (eye poke); Mackenzie Dern crowns herself at strawweight — full results, bonuses & what’s next

UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi: main event ends in a No Contest (eye poke); Mackenzie Dern crowns herself at strawweight — full results, bonuses & what’s next

At the Etihad Arena (Abu Dhabi), the heavyweight title fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane was ruled a No Contest at 4:35 of R1 after an accidental eye poke that left Aspinall unable to continue. In the co-main, Mackenzie Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) to capture the vacant strawweight belt.

Main event — what happened

  • Aspinall vs. Gane (Heavyweight, title): a competitive opening minute turned chaotic when a double eye poke from Gane halted action late in R1. After the doctor’s eval, the referee called a No Contest. An immediate rematch is already in play per post-fight chatter.

Co-main — a new strawweight champion

  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba (vacant title): more stand-up than expected, with Dern edging the pocket exchanges and banking key moments on the ground. UD for Dern (49–46, 48–47, 48–47) and gold on her shoulder.

Official results

Main Card

  • Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane — No Contest (eye poke), R1 4:35

  • Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba — Unanimous Decision (49–46, 48–47, 48–47)

  • Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista — Unanimous Decision (30–27 x3)

  • Alexander Volkov def. Jailton Almeida — Split Decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)

  • Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakić — KO/TKO, R1 3:11

Prelims

  • Nasrat Haqparast def. Quillan Salkilld — KO/TKO, R1 2:30

  • Ikram Aliskerov def. Jun Yong Park — Unanimous Decision (30–27 x3)

  • Ľudovít Klein def. Mateusz Rębecki — Majority Decision

  • Valter Walker def. Louie Sutherland — Submission (heel hook), R1 1:24

  • Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Miguel Delgado — Unanimous Decision (29–28 x3)

  • Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Chris Barnett — Unanimous Decision

  • Azat Maksum def. Mitch Raposo — Unanimous Decision

  • Jaqueline Amorim def. Mizuki Inoue — Unanimous Decision

Attendance & gate not officially released as of press time.

Performance bonuses ($50K)

  • Fight of the Night: Ľudovít Klein vs. Mateusz Rębecki

  • Performance of the Night: Quillan Salkilld, Valter Walker

Brazil watch — how they did

  • Virna Jandiroba: tough outing; dropped a close UD to new champ Mackenzie Dern.

  • Jailton Almeida: split decision loss to Alexander Volkov in a tactical heavyweight fight.

  • Jaqueline Amorim: clean UD on the prelims.

Talking points

  • No Contest drama: the late-round eye poke that ended Aspinall vs. Gane ignited calls for a direct rematch to settle the heavyweight picture properly.

  • Dern’s belt: with three scorecards in her favor, Mackenzie Dern said she wanted a finish to quiet doubters—first defense chatter began immediately.

What’s next (quick matchmaking)

  • Aspinall vs. Gane 2: most likely next to clear the heavyweight logjam.

  • Mackenzie Dern (C): obvious contenders include Tatiana Suarez and other top-ranked strawweights.

  • Umar Nurmagomedov: 30–27 x3 screams top-5 bantamweight next.

  • Alexander Volkov: a marquee win over Almeida nudges him up the heavyweight queue.

UFC 321 mixed frustration (No Contest in the headliner) with a coronation (Dern’s title win) and a handful of statement showings (Umar’s sweep, Volkov’s SD). The next few weeks should lock in Aspinall–Gane II and shape Dern’s first defense, keeping Abu Dhabi’s card alive in the rankings conversation.

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