The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to our screens this weekend with the hotly anticipated UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. The stunning Etihad Arena provides the backdrop for a bumper card headlined by Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane in the heavyweight division.
You can follow the bouts live on major television broadcasters and live streaming apps, including ESPN. Gamblr members can predict the winner of the main event and the best of the undercard fights, enjoying generous odds, exciting betting markets, and eye-catching promotions. Will Aspinall add another important win to his already glittering CV, or do you expect Gane to leave the UAE with a stunning result?
Gamblr’s respected sports betting writer Frank Monkhouse has everything you need to enjoy an explosive evening of professional mixed martial arts. He previews the card, explaining where to watch the bouts, who the Gamblr traders expect to win, the form of the leading names and his researched predictions. Keep reading as we hunt the value at UFC 321.
UFC 321 fight card
Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane
Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista
Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida
Aleksandar Rakić vs. Azamat Murzakanov
How to watch UFC 321
UFC 321 will be broadcast to a global audience, with millions expected to tune in for the main event. The table below shows how you can view it in your region.
USA : ESPN
UK/Ireland : TNT Sports
Latin America : ESPN
Spain : Max
Aspinall vs Gane betting odds
Aspinall win @ 1.25
Gane win @ 3.8
Over 1.5 rounds @ 1.8
Under 1.5 rounds @ 1.9
Fight to go the distance @ 5.0
Not to go the distance @ 1.13
Aspinall by KO @ 1.95
Aspinall on points @ 9.0
Aspinall by submission @ 3.33
Gane by KO @ 5.75
Gane on points @ 13.0
Gane by submission @ 19.0
Aspinall is the hot favourite
Tom Aspinall is the UFC heavyweight champion and hot betting favourite to add another win to his CV this weekend. The 32-year-old from Salford in England ranks inside the top-10 of the UFC’s pound-for-pound list, which is quite surprising for the organisation’s heavyweight champ. He’ll want to impress with another showreel knockout win in Saturday’s return to the octagon, driving him up the ratings. Will Aspinall claim the desired result and performance?
The Brit’s professional MMA record stands at 15 wins against three defeats. He has claimed a dozen of those victories by knockout, winning three by submission. His defeats are evenly split: one by KO, another by submission, with the spare a disqualification. His last reverse came on UFC London back in the summer of 2022 when Aspinall was KO’d by Curtis Blaydes in the opening exchanges of round one.
Since losing to Blaydes, we’ve seen Aspinall in action three times, reeling off three wins. He bounced back to form with an opening round TKO over Marcin Tybura in London, collecting a Performance of the Night bonus. Tom then moved his career forward with a round one KO win in New York against Sergei Pavlovich, winning both the UFC Championship and another Performance of the Night wage boost.
We last saw the champ defend his strap when wiping out Curtin Blaydes in round one on UFC 304 in Manchester, England. That victory saw Tom defend his belt, bank another Performance of the Night bonus, and he was promoted to undisputed champion.
Frenchman fancies an upset
Ciryl Gane travels from his base in Paris, France, to Abu Dhabi as the underdog, but he believes an upset is on the cards. The pre-fight betting odds suggest Gane will prove little more than another victim on his big-name opponent’s hit list. It’s easy to see where the betting traders and UFC pundits are coming from with that call, but experienced fight fans know anything is possible in this sport. It’s always dangerous to write off a challenger.
Gane arrives at the venue as a former UFC heavyweight champion, demonstrating he has vital experience competing at the highest level of professional MMA. His current record shows 13 wins against a couple of defeats. He lost by submission to the legendary Jon Jones on UFC 285 after dropping a points decision to the hard-hitting Francis Ngannou on UFC 270 in California. Those results mean Gane has won three and lost two of his previous five bouts. Can he leave that inconsistency at the door and score the biggest win of his career to blow the division wide open?
In addition to those losses to Ngannou and Jones, the challenger has beaten Tai Tuivasa by knockout at UFC Paris, earning a Fight of the Night bonus. He then stopped Serghei Spivac in his return to the French capital, scooping the Performance of the Night. Gane was last in action when beating Alexander Volkov by split decision on UFC 310 in Las Vegas late last year. Is he ready to deliver a career-changing win?
Aspinall vs Gane prediction
Relying on the stats and form of both fighters, it’s easy to see why Aspinall is the favourite, with another early night expected. I don’t fancy taking the traders on here as they appear to have this one spot on. We’re backing Aspinall to beat Gane in round one at 2.33. That bet will do a job as a single, or you can add it to your fight night multiples.
A bet on Tom Aspinall to win in the opening round would’ve landed you a profit in each of his last three appearances. The Englishman hasn’t gone beyond round one in any of his previous six bouts, a run stretching back to summer 2021. In that period, he has blasted five opponents out of there quickly, with the spare that first-round defeat to Blaydes.
Claim a free bet on UFC 321
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Create an account, make your first deposit and bet on a qualifying sportsbook market to claim your bonus in plenty of time for the first bell.