The Ringside Report MMA crew predicted chaos for UFC 321, and they got it—just not the kind anyone wanted. Dave Simon had joked during Thursday’s preview show that he was “rooting for chaos” with a potential Ciryl Gane upset over Tom Aspinall. What he got instead was a no-contest disaster that left fans demanding refunds, fighters devastated, and the UFC’s heavyweight division in complete limbo.
“Awful. The main event ended in a no-contest after half a round. What a disaster,” Dave posted immediately after the fight. “Ciryl Gane accidentally pokes Tom Aspinall in the eye in the first round. The fight is over. No contest. Disaster for the heavyweight title main event. Might be the worst finish ever for a UFC PPV.”
The disappointment in Dave’s assessment cuts deep—this wasn’t just a bad fight, it was an incomplete product that robbed fans of the heavyweight championship showdown they’d paid $79.99 to witness.
How do you get the energy to Blame Aspinall after this?pic.twitter.com/4JxeiM1Iu7
— Omosh (@omondike_) October 25, 2025
The UFC 321 Main Event Catastrophe: 4 Minutes and 35 Seconds of Chaos
Just 4:35 into what should have been UFC 321’s crowning moment, referee Jason Herzog waved off the Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight title fight after an accidental eye poke left the British champion unable to continue.
Aspinall’s stark declaration—“I can’t see anything”—told Herzog everything he needed to know. Still, the abrupt ending left the Abu Dhabi crowd in hostile disbelief and social media ablaze with fury.
Dave had predicted an intriguing stylistic matchup during Thursday’s preview. “It’s hard not to pick Aspinall. He’s looking great. However, Ciryl is competent. He’s capable of winning the fight. Aspinall is probably the safer pick. But Cyril could easily win that fight, especially at heavyweight,” he’d explained, recognizing Gane’s technical striking as a legitimate threat.
What neither Dave nor anyone else predicted was a fight that wouldn’t even make it out of the first round—not because of Aspinall’s devastating knockout power or Gane’s technical striking, but because of an accidental foul that rendered the entire evening meaningless.
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council launched a formal investigation within 48 hours, confirming significant corneal damage to Aspinall’s right eye that will require weeks of specialized treatment. Their preliminary findings suggest the eye poke was indeed accidental, but they’re implementing stricter glove protocols for future events—small comfort for fans who feel robbed of a legitimate main event.
Herzog’s Controversial No-Contest Call Sparks Outrage
The decision to call a no-contest rather than disqualify Gane has ignited fierce debate about referee consistency and whether Jason Herzog rushed his medical assessment.
Critics point to similar eye injuries in previous UFC fights that continued after brief medical timeouts, raising uncomfortable questions about what actually constitutes a fight-ending foul versus recoverable damage. Aspinall’s clear statement about his vision seemed definitive in the moment, yet fans immediately cited fighters who’ve recovered from comparable injuries within the standard five-minute recovery period.
Herzog’s track record now faces intense scrutiny alongside other officials who’ve handled similar situations differently. The lack of standardized medical assessment procedures means these critical decisions remain dangerously subjective, varying wildly depending on which referee is working that particular cage.
Dave’s characterization of the finish as potentially “the worst finish ever for a UFC PPV” reflects not just this specific incident, but also accumulated frustration with inconsistent officiating that can, in a split second, derail months of promotion and years of fighter preparation.
THE EMOTIONS FROM MACKENZIE DERN AFTER WINNING THE UFC TITLE 🥹
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2025
Stream #UFC321 on the ESPN App ➡️ https://t.co/K4DaFRKUKc pic.twitter.com/8d7JtWIkTn
The One Bright Spot: Mackenzie Dern Captures Gold
Amid the wreckage of UFC 321’s main event, Mackenzie Dern delivered exactly what Dave’s co-host AJ D’Alesio had predicted—a performance that finally captured UFC championship gold.
“AJ is happy as Mackenzie Dern won her fight,” Dave noted, acknowledging the one successful prediction from their Thursday preview show. AJ had gone all-in defending his loyalty to Dern despite her underdog status against Virna Jandiroba.
“There you go, I think Mackenzie Dern, okay, and I’m gonna defend that. I think in the first fight it was a very different Mackenzie Dern that didn’t have that stand-up game,” AJ had argued during the preview. “It’s a different Mackenzie Dern, and I think Mackenzie Dern is gonna be able to fight a different game, much more aggressive.”
AJ’s read proved correct. Dern captured the vacant UFC women’s strawweight championship after Zhang Weili vacated the title to challenge Valentina Shevchenko at flyweight. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has finally evolved into a complete mixed martial artist, validating AJ’s faith in her development and giving the Ringside Report crew something positive to celebrate from an otherwise disastrous evening.
The contrast couldn’t be starker—one title fight delivered a new champion and a feel-good story, while the main event delivered only disappointment and unanswered questions.
Technical Nightmare: When Production Fails the Product
Beyond the eye-poke fiasco that derailed the main event, UFC 321 suffered technical failures that compounded the evening’s misery.
Poorly timed replays created more confusion than clarity, with the broadcast team struggling to provide definitive angles on the severity of Gane’s foul. Commentators offered conflicting explanations as viewers desperately tried to determine whether Herzog’s stoppage was premature or justified.
Audio issues plagued fighter interviews throughout the night, and critical camera angles that could’ve provided definitive evidence about the eye poke’s severity were either missed entirely or poorly framed. For an event charging premium pay-per-view prices, the production quality felt shockingly amateurish.
Even veteran commentator Daniel Cormier seemed genuinely baffled by the evening’s sequence of events —a rare moment when one of the UFC’s most experienced voices couldn’t smooth over the chaos with professional analysis.
Other Notable Results: Bizarre Records and Near-Upsets
While the main event disaster dominated headlines, UFC 321’s undercard delivered several moments worth noting:
Valter Walker continued his supernatural submission streak, securing his fourth consecutive heel-hook finish in just 84 seconds—a bizarre UFC record that defies statistical probability. The Brazilian’s ability to find the same submission against different opponents with such consistency borders on the inexplicable.
Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Mario Bautista as expected, though not without drama. Bautista nearly finished the Dagestani contender with a toe hold despite losing every round on the scorecards, proving AJ’s parlay selection of Umar as “one of the safer picks” came with more danger than anticipated.
Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida played out on the main card, though the main event catastrophe overshadowed specific results. Dave had expressed hope for fresh heavyweight contenders, noting, “I’d like to see Jailton win, but I recognize it’s gonna be tough against Volkov.”
The Aleksandar Rakić vs. Azamat Murzakanov light heavyweight bout also took place, with Dave having called it “an intriguing fight” during the preview show. However, he’d cautiously kept Murzakanov off his parlay until seeing him “win a big fight.”
The Betting Fallout: When Parlays Meet Disaster
Dave’s bold triple underdog parlay—Gane, Jandiroba, and Volkov—became mathematically impossible the moment Herzog waved off the main event. No-contests void betting selections, meaning Dave’s “rooting for chaos” prediction delivered chaos in the worst possible way for anyone who’d backed Gane.
AJ’s five-fight parlay featuring Aspinall, Dern, Umar, Volkov, and Murzakanov met a similar fate. While Dern delivered her portion, the no-contest in the main event meant his parlay was either voided entirely or reduced to a smaller payout depending on the sportsbook’s rules.
“Pretty much all favorites except Volkov,” Dave had summarized AJ’s conservative approach after last week’s UFC Vancouver disaster torched their predictions. The cruel irony? Playing it safe meant nothing when the main event simply didn’t happen.
The betting chaos mirrors the broader fan frustration—people didn’t just lose money, they lost the opportunity to win or lose fairly based on actual fight outcomes.
Fan Fury: Refund Demands and UFC’s Deafening Silence
As soon as Herzog officially declared the no-contest, social media exploded with demands for ticket and pay-per-view refunds from UFC 321 attendees who’d paid premium prices to watch a heavyweight championship fight that lasted less than five minutes.
Fans who’d shelled out hundreds for ringside seats in Abu Dhabi felt genuinely cheated after witnessing just 4:35 of action. Pay-per-view customers flooded social media with screenshots of their $79.99 receipts, arguing they’d purchased a championship fight, not a brief warm-up session that ended on a technicality.
The UFC’s silence on potential compensation only amplified the backlash. Unlike other major sports leagues that occasionally offer partial refunds or makeup events when circumstances beyond anyone’s control ruin the product, the UFC has remained characteristically quiet about any goodwill gestures.
Dave’s assessment captures the sentiment perfectly: when you call something potentially “the worst finish ever for a UFC PPV,” you’re acknowledging that fans received fundamentally less value than what they paid for. The question becomes whether the UFC agrees—and whether they’ll do anything about it.
From Prediction to Disaster: When Chaos Goes Wrong
During Thursday’s preview show, Dave had joked about wanting chaos in the heavyweight division. “I think if Cyril Gane beats Tom Aspinall, it just unleashes chaos in MMA, which I think is funny. Chaos in the UFC is funny, and I’m rooting for chaos. I’m rooting for Cyril Gane to win just for heads to explode all around the world,” he’d laughed.
The prophecy came true in the worst possible way. Heads did explode—but from frustration, not from a shocking Gane upset. The chaos arrived not through competitive drama but through an accidental eye poke that satisfied absolutely no one.
Fred had warned during the preview about the heavyweight division’s weakness, noting, “Who’s there after Gane and Aspinall? It feels like the heavyweight division is pretty weak.” Now the division faces an extended holding pattern while Aspinall recovers from significant corneal damage that requires weeks of specialized treatment.
The immediate rematch that fans are demanding can’t happen anytime soon, and Dana White faces mounting pressure to book something—anything—that restores credibility to a heavyweight title picture that’s become a punchline.
What Comes Next: Rematch Logistics and Division Chaos
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s investigation into stricter glove protocols offers cold comfort for a division now stuck in neutral. Aspinall needs time to heal, Gane deserves a shot to prove the fight could’ve gone differently, and fans need assurance they won’t waste another $79.99 on an incomplete product.
Dave and the Ringside Report MMA crew approached UFC 321 with cautious optimism after their Vancouver predictions crashed and burned the previous week. “Last week, we shouldn’t mention it, RDR lost. Got beat up,” Dave had admitted, acknowledging their flawed forecasting.
At least with Vancouver, they got actual fight results to analyze and learn from. UFC 321 delivered no such closure—just an abrupt ending that answered no questions about heavyweight supremacy and created a dozen new ones about officiating, medical protocols, and what fans can reasonably expect when they purchase UFC pay-per-views.
The Verdict: A Disaster That Demands Answers
UFC 321 will be remembered not for athletic excellence or competitive drama, but as a cautionary tale about what happens when multiple failures—technical, medical, and organizational—converge on a single event.
Dave Simon’s assessment rings painfully true: “Might be the worst finish ever for a UFC PPV.” That’s not hyperbole from an angry fan—it’s an experienced combat sports analyst recognizing that something fundamentally broke in Abu Dhabi.
Mackenzie Dern’s title win provides one bright spot in an otherwise catastrophic evening, validating AJ’s loyalty and prediction skills. But one successful fight can’t redeem a main event that left the heavyweight division in chaos, fans demanding refunds, and fundamental questions unanswered about whether proper protocols were followed.
The rematch will eventually happen—probably not until summer 2026, given Aspinall’s injury timeline. Until then, UFC 321 stands as a monument to everything that can go wrong when a premium combat sports product fails to deliver on its most basic promise: a complete fight between two of the world’s best heavyweights.
“What a disaster,” Dave wrote. Two words that perfectly capture an evening the UFC would desperately like to forget, but fans won’t let them.
Watch Ringside Report MMA every Thursday at 8:00 PM ET on YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, DLive, and Kick for the latest UFC analysis, predictions, and brutally honest takes from Dave Simon, AJ D’Alesio, and Fred Garcia.
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