The UFC makes its pay-per-view return to Yas Island, United Arab Emirates, with UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane, featuring a compelling heavyweight title main event and a vacant strawweight championship co-main between two Jiu-Jitsu standouts, Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern. This stacked card at Etihad Arena promises significance from top to bottom, with several bouts carrying serious title implications.
These power rankings are based on competitive importance in addition to entertainment value, with the top bouts featuring the highest-skilled fighters. The rankings also factor in fights with interesting stylistic clashes that promise a back-and-forth battle. Here are the power rankings of every bout on this weekend’s card based on competitive intrigue, stylistic drama, and finish probability.
Note: According to UFC insider Marcel Dorff, the lightweight bout between Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady and Matheus Camilo has been cancelled due to Al-Selwady withdrawing for medical reasons.
Must-See Championship Matchups
#1 Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane – Heavyweight Championship
This heavyweight title showdown tops the list due to its monumental stakes and fascinating stylistic clash. Aspinall, the undisputed champion, makes his first title defense after being promoted when Jon Jones retired. Standing across from him is former interim champion Ciryl Gane, who enters on a two-fight winning streak.
The matchup pits Aspinall’s well-rounded finishing ability against Gane’s technical kickboxing and movement. The champion brings devastating power with seven first-round stoppage wins in the UFC and, according to UFC records, the shortest average fight time among any fighter. Gane, on the other hand, makes it to the record books as the fourth-most accurate striker in heavyweight history. The fight may resemble Gane’s loss to Jon Jones, with Aspinall using his striking to set up takedowns where he holds a massive advantage. With the clear top two talents in the division colliding, this main event could determine the next dominant force in the UFC.
#2 Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern – Vacant Strawweight Championship
The vacant strawweight championship co-main event takes second place due to its compelling rematch narrative and elite grappling prowess, even though some analysts like Din Thomas think otherwise.
These two previously battled at UFC 256 in 2020, with Dern earning a unanimous decision victory in a closely contested fight. The rematch features vastly improved versions of both fighters, with both women arguably the two most dangerous submission artists in women’s MMA. This championship clash promises technical mastery on the ground and a scrap on the feet.
High-Stakes Main Card Attractions
#3 Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista – Bantamweight
This bantamweight showdown earns the third spot due to its serious title implications and clash of trajectories. Nurmagomedov is coming off his first career loss to champion Merab Dvalishvili, against Bautista, who is riding an impressive win streak of eight fights. The stylistic matchup is intriguing, pitting Nurmagomedov’s dominant grappling against Bautista’s technically sharp, well-rounded game and solid gas tank. With the winner likely positioned for a future championship opportunity, this bout carries significance far beyond its placement on the card.
#4 Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida – Heavyweight
This heavyweight collision between ranked contenders claims the fourth position due to its clear title eliminator status and classic striker-versus-grappler dynamic. Volkov, the 6’7″ Russian veteran, looks to rebound from a controversial split decision loss to Ciryl Gane. He brings technical striking and a ridiculous 80-inch reach that he uses to pick opponents apart from distance. Almeida, on the other hand, is a submission specialist with relentless grappling. The winner is expected to have the best case for a future heavyweight title shot, adding significant stakes to this compelling stylistic clash.
#5 Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov – Light Heavyweight
The main card opener between light heavyweight contenders rounds out the top five due to its critical positioning in the division’s rankings. Rakic finds himself in a peculiar position, having lost three straight, but all to former champions, establishing himself as a gatekeeper for the division. Murzakanov has recorded finishes in four of his five UFC appearances and represents the new blood looking to break into the rankings. This serves as a tremendous litmus test for both men. With both fighters well-rounded and dangerous, this matchup should deliver entertainment for as long as it lasts.
Preliminary Card Highlights
#6 Ikram Aliskerov vs. JunYong Park – Middleweight
The middleweight dark horse, Aliskerov, looks for his second win of 2025 against the consistently tough Park. Aliskerov returned from his short-notice loss to Robert Whittaker with a first-round stoppage of Andre Muniz, while JunYong “The Iron Turtle” Park has been a steady presence in the division with a 6-1 record over his last seven fights.
#7 Nasrat Haqparast vs. Quillan Salkilld – Lightweight
This lightweight prelim headliner features Haqparast riding a five-fight winning streak against the surging Salkilld, who has earned two victories in his first year on the UFC roster. The matchup pairs Haqparast’s experienced striking against Salkilld’s explosive power, creating a compelling style clash to close out the prelims.
#8 Ludovit Klein vs. Mateusz Rebecki – Lightweight
This clash of European lightweights pits Klein’s precise striking and volume against Rebecki’s tremendous power and wrestling advantage. Klein will likely keep the fight standing and utilize his technical striking to secure a victory, making this a compelling battle of contrasting strengths.
#9 Nathaniel Wood vs. Jose Miguel Delgado – Featherweight
This featherweight bout features the well-rounded Wood against the surging Delgado, who has needed just under three minutes of total fight time to knock out his first two UFC opponents. Delgado’s unpredictable striking combinations and speed make him a prospect to watch in the division, but Wood’s technically savvy approach could prove to be difficult. Unfortunately, Delgado missed weight, which puts this fight towards the bottom half of the rankings.
Entertaining But Not Intriguing
#10 Valter Walker vs. Louie Sutherland – Heavyweight
The entertainment value for this fight rests almost entirely on Walker’s somewhat hilarious mastery of the heel hook, an incredibly rare submission that is especially uncommon among the heavyweight division. Walker has won his last three fights by heel hook, and he even showed up to the weigh-ins with a rubber severed foot on a chain, making it clear what he intends to do. Louie Sutherland makes his promotional debut, and hopefully for him, he has been practicing leglock entanglements in the gym.
#11 Chris Barnett vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab – Heavyweight
This is similar to the previous fight in that only one of these fighters is the clear entertainment draw. Chris Barnett’s surprising and uncanny athleticism for his size is the single compelling reason to watch his fight against the much taller, but much slower, Abdelwahab. Barnett defies expectations for a man of his stature, allowing him to unleash unexpected techniques like the spinning wheel kick that knocked out Gian Villante and a spinning back kick finish from his pre-UFC career.
Low Stakes and Low Interest
#12 Jaqueline Amorim vs. Mizuki Inoue – Strawweight
The women’s strawweight opener showcases Amorim against the experienced Inoue. Amorim is riding a four-fight win streak, all via finish, while Inoue has fought sporadically every two or so years since her promotional debut in 2019. This bout lacks the stakes of higher-ranked fights, placing it towards the bottom of the rankings, but it offers a glimpse at Amorim as a potential future contender in the division if she can find yet another finish.
#13 Mitch Raposo vs. Azat Maksum – Flyweight
While the flyweight bout between Azat Maksum and Mitch Raposo is a solid addition to the UFC 321 prelims, its position at the bottom of the power rankings is due to a combination of factors, including Raposo’s search for his first UFC win and Maksum’s three-pound weight miss, which has added an unprofessional shadow over the contest.
Raposo’s coach, Tyson Chartier, commented on the opponent’s weight miss on social media:
Contender series Hadley missed by 2lbs. UFC 302 Lima missed by 4lbs, now Maksum by 3lbs.. here we go again. Is there anyone else with this type of “luck”? Frustrating.. 🤷🏼♂️ Fights still on. #UFC321
— Tyson Chartier (@TysonChartier) October 24, 2025
Championships and Championship Implications
UFC 321 delivers a compelling slate of matchups from the technical striking battle in the heavyweight main event to the ground mastery on display in the strawweight co-main. Outside of these championship fights, multiple bouts on this card could shape the UFC landscape well into 2026, when the promotion moves from ESPN+ to Paramount+ and CBS.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
