Tom Aspinall will earn a finish at UFC 321, but it will not come through strikes against Ciryl Gane this weekend. Former UFC champion Michael Bisping shared his prediction while breaking down the pay-per-view main event on his personal YouTube channel.
Bisping has praised Aspinall in the past but disagrees with the oddsmakers who make Gane a heavy favorite. He doubts the fight will be a one-sided affair. Discussing Aspinall’s first defense of the undisputed title, after his interim belt defense last July, Bisping said:
“It’s going to be an entertaining fight. I don’t necessarily see this being one-way traffic the way Tom has dealt with all his other opponents.”
“Gane will have learned from the losses to Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou. He knows he has gaps to fill.”
“Ultimately, I still think Tom Aspinall gets it done. It will be a stoppage. Probably a submission. If you want to bet on a finish, I would say a ground-and-pound finish.”
Aspinall Eyes Next Heavyweight Challenger
Tom Aspinall focuses on Ciryl Gane, but he already has an eye on future opponents. He spoke to reporters during UFC 321 media day, discussing the potential next heavyweight title fight. Aspinall referenced the October 25th undercard bout between Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida.
“Whatever the UFC wants to do. It’s pretty obvious they’re going to do winner vs. winner of me vs. Gane, and Volkov vs. Almeida. Not like a tag team match. The winner of us vs. the winner of them, that’s what I think it’s going to be next for the heavyweight title.”
If Aspinall wins, he could face Alexander Volkov in a rematch or Jailton Almeida for a fresh challenge. Either way, the UK fighter wants to remain active as champion after a period of dormancy at heavyweight. Jon Jones dominated the division and retired without unifying with Aspinall.
