UFC 321 brought with it a mixed bag of emotions. In the main event, newly crowned heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall attempted to start his reign in glorious fashion, but an errant double eye poke from challenger Ciryl Gane left the Englishman unable to continue.
While that championship fight came to a disappointing conclusion, Mackenzie Dern solidified her place at the head of the pack at strawweight by toppling the dominant Virna Jandiroba to claim the title following the departure of former 115-lb queen Weili Zhang.
Here are some interesting tidbits after the event of UFC 321.
UFC 321: Azamat Murzakanov def. Aleksandar Rakic
Azamat Murzakanov
Murzakanov’s win over Aleksandar Rakić is his 16th consecutive professional victory since his debut in 2010. It also marked his tenth first-round finish, nine of which ended with a knockout
He has now won his last three matches by stoppage.
Aleksandar Rakic
Rakic’s UFC 321 loss to Murzakanov marked the first time he had ever been finished in the first round. It is also his fourth defeat in a row, having previously lost to former champions Jan Błachowicz, Jiří Procházka and Magomed Ankalaev
He hasn’t raised his hand after a tilt since beating Thiago Santos at UFC 259 in 2021.
UFC 321: Alexander Volkov def. Prison Almeida
Alexander Volkov
His UFC 321 win over Almeida put himself back in the win column after previously losing to main event competitor Ciryl Gane last year. It was also the first time he won a fight via split decision since winning his UFC debut against Tim Johnson in 2016.
Eleven of his 39 professional victories have now come via judges’ scorecards.
His promotion record now stands at 13-5.
Prison Almeida
Almeida’s UFC 321 loss to Volkov saw him only manage nine significant hits, the fewest he has ever recorded in a UFC fight that went the distance. He also recorded 10:47 of control time, which puts him at the second-most time in a company scrap behind his 2022 Derrick Lewis match, where he clocked more than 20 minutes.
He is now 2-2 in his last four trips to the cage
UFC 321: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Mario Bautista
Omar Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov’s victory over Bautista marks his return to the winner’s circle after losing to current bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 314 last January. He also set a new organizational record for himself in the fight, with 11 takedowns.
Ten of his 19 wins as a pro have now come from the scorecards.
Mario Bautista
Bautista’s defeat to Nurmagomedov ended his eight-match winning streak, which has lasted since 2022. This was the first time in his professional tenure that he lost a tilt by decision.
His three setbacks as a professional have all occurred in the UFC.
UFC 321: Mackenzie Dern def. Virna Jandiroba
Mackenzie Dern
Dern’s championship victory over Jandiroba saw her rack up 118 significant hits, marking her most in a UFC bout since her main event showcase against Angela Hill in 2023. She has now won her last three matches in a row.
She now begins her reign as the sixth strawweight champion in promotion history.
Virna Jandiroba
Jandiroba’s loss to Dern ended her previous five-fight win streak, which had lasted three years. Her appearance at UFC 321 marked her first corporate title fight.
Her UFC record now stands at 8-4
UFC 321: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane (no contest)
Tom Aspinall
Aspinall’s bout at UFC 321 was his first fight since UFC 304 last year. The fight was intended to be his first title defense since being promoted to undisputed champion after holding the interim title for more than a year.
He is now 4-1 with one no-contest in his last six tilts.
Ciryl Gane
His appearance at UFC 321 marked the third time he has challenged for the organization’s permanent heavyweight title, previously falling to Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones respectively. He hadn’t fought since beating Alexander Volkov at UFC 310 last December.
This marked the first time a UFC championship fight ended via a no-contest since UFC 214, after Jones failed a post-fight drug test, reversing his initial knockout victory over Daniel Cormier.
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