Why the Biggest Winner From UFC 321's Disastrous Main Event Is Jon Jones

When Jon Jones retired from MMA in early 2025, he did so under somewhat complicated circumstances. By the time he hung up the gloves, he was irrefutably one of the greatest fighters in MMA history—maybe the best outright.

But there was a black mark on his resume.

Jones concluded his career by climbing up to heavyweight, where he first claimed the vacant belt with a first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane, and later defended it with a third-round TKO against Stipe Miocic. However, his avoidance of Tom Aspinall as the final defense of his career drew (deserved) criticism from the media and fans alike.

That criticism is why MMA's GOAT is probably smiling today. For the UFC's heavyweight division, the result of Saturday's main event only strengthens Jones' case.

The highly anticipated Tom Aspinall vs. Cyril Gane heavyweight showdown ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye-poke from the French challenger left the British champion unable to compete.

It leaves the heavyweight division, one that had been held up by Jones' inactivity, in even more confusion.

But the bottom line is this: if Jones was still active, he's still on top.

After—quite literally—years, it became clear that Jones had no interest in fighting Aspinall. He argued that he had spent the better part of two decades fighting the most formidable contenders at light heavyweight, and in the twilight of his career, didn't have much to gain from fighting a dangerous but inexperienced talent from the UK.

Jones cannot be blamed for this decision. His rationale is sound. His legacy at the time was already bulletproof. Fighting Aspinall—who was younger, bigger, stronger, and hungrier—would have been a somewhat low-risk, high-stakes gamble. Had he won, he would have improved an already unimpeachable legacy. Had he lost, that legacy would have suffered a terrible blow.

In other words, it's easy to understand why Jones retired without fighting Aspinall.

For that reason, Jones was surely tuned in for Saturday's UFC 321 card in Abu Dhabi. And if he was, he was surely hoping for an Aspinall loss. That's not because he has anything against the Brit. It's because Jones dominated Gane in 2021, and if Gane had beaten Aspinall, the lingering accusations of Jones ducking Aspinall would have been significantly weakened.

Gane, a massive underdog, started surprisingly strongly—though not strongly enough to assume Aspinall was down for the count. Unfortunately, the Frenchman then landed an eye poke that visibly compromised Aspinall. Fans like to accuse fighters of being afraid in these kinds of situations, but in this case, it was undeniable. Gane was knuckle deep in the champion's eye socket—the replay showed this—and the fight was clearly compromised beyond that point.

The no-contest that was announced at that point was both sensible and expected.

For fans everywhere, it was the worst outcome possible. For Jones, it was arguably the best. Gane—who Jones dominated when they fought in 2023—had a lot of success before things fell apart. That made Jones look very good. Aspinall—who Jones was said to have ducked—barely got going in the fight, and had to quit due to a foul. That also made Jones look good.

On top of that, the fact that Aspinall was stopped by a foul that Jones was notorious for delivering deserves mention. All of that notwithstanding, this was supposed to be a night where, after a dominant Tom Aspinall win, Jones was forced to defend his legacy and his decision to retire without fighting the Brit. As disappointing as the climax of the card in Abu Dhabi was, it took all the pressure off the retired legend. Aspinall still has the potential to be the greatest heavyweight ever. Jones, however, doesn't need to say a thing about any of it tonight.

Of course, there is a good chance he will anyway.