What mattered most at UFC 321 on Saturday from Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Valter Walker does it again
The heel hook submission has become an increasingly rare finishing technique in MMA, but someone forgot to tell that to Valter Walker.
Walker’s (15-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) unprecedented run of heel hook wins spilled deeper into historic territory when he put Louie Sutherland away inside 90 seconds. He’s finished his past four opponents in the same manner, which is something no fighter has ever done inside the octagon – let alone at heavyweight.
The glaring note about Walker’s streak is the underwhelming quality of his competition. It’s fun to watch a specialist like this go to work, but there always seems to be a ceiling for this type. The opponents are going to become more aware of his threat and be increasingly prepared for it, so it remains to be seen if he can do this to better fighters.
Quillan Salkilld’s iconic head kick strikes fear
Quillan Salkilld put the lightweight division on notice with one of the most devastating head kick knockouts in recent memory against Nasrat Haqparast, who entered on a five-fight winning streak.
Salkilld (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) needed just half a round to put an end to that run and elevate his own octagon record with a highlight that belongs on reels for eternity. To make things more impressive, he took the fight on just 10 days’ notice.
It’s hard to make headway in the deep and talent-rich 155-pound division. Through just three octagon appearances, however, the Australian has done just that. Salkilld’s vicious finish under the circumstances officially makes him one to watch.
Alexander Volkov’s underwhelming title case
Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida was the worst fight on the card, but it likely produced a future heavyweight title challenger nonetheless.
After losing a controversial split decision to Ciryl Gane in December, Volkov (39-11 MMA, 13-5 UFC) came out on the triumphant end of another razor-thin fight when he got the split nod over Almeida despite giving up seven takedowns and nearly 11 minutes of control time.
If the December fight went his way, Volkov probably would’ve been the one fighting Aspinall for the belt on this card. What goes around comes around, I guess, but now his future is somewhat murky. If the main event had ended cleanly and with no controversy, then Volkov would probably be looking at an early 2026 title shot. Now he will be pushed to the side as Aspinall and Gane look to run it back, leaving him in another tricky position.
Should Umar Nurmagomedov get another title shot now?
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Umar Nurmagomedov showed his ability to rebound from a loss and deal with in-fight adversity when he defeated Mario Bautista by unanimous decision.
Aside from a flash knockdown from a huge Bautista knee in the second round, Nurmagomedov (19-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) showed the well-rounded game highlighted by ferocious grappling that we’ve come to expect. He got the win, which was most important after losing for the first time against Merab Dvalishvili in January’s UFC 311 title fight. Was it the performance he needed to meet the standards set by UFC CEO Dana White during their pre-fight press conference agreement? I’m not so sure.
At minimum, Nurmagomedov left the door open for others to grasp the opportunity. We also have to see what happens in Dvalishvili’s title rematch with Petr Yan at UFC 323 in December. If the belt changes hands there, then Nurmagomedov’s title trajectory gets more complicated. If Dvalishvili retains, however, a second fight between the rivals would be a solid sell for the UFC, and probably bigger than anything else at 135 pounds right now.
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It’s disappointing to even have to be writing this, but there’s clearly a swell of people out there who think Tom Aspinall took the easy way out of his main event with Ciryl Gane, which ended in a historic no contest.
This isn’t just the internet trolls or faceless accounts in the comments section. It’s prominent analysts like Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith, and even an insinuation by UFC CEO White, who really should’ve been among the first to come to Aspinall’s defense.
The frustration around Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) vs. Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) ending the way it did due to an eye poke is understandable. It was an awful way to cap off what had been a pretty mediocre card, and you sympathize with the fans who paid good money to be there live, or plunk down $80 for the pay-per-view. It’s completely reasonable to be unfulfilled by the experience.
What we can’t support, however, is the notion Aspinall should’ve continued to compete with his vision badly compromised. As of this writing, we do not know the extent of the damage. Aspinall has not spoke on it or provided an update, but it was clearly bad, and there was way too much to lose for him in this situation just to satisfy some people who wanted him to be more macho.
Let’s say, hypothetically, Aspinall fought on and lost. How much benefit of the doubt would he be given in the aftermath? If he got an immediate rematch, is Aspinall’s contract the same as the challenger? Does he get the same perks? That doesn’t even take into account the forgetful fanbase who would surely focus more on the loss than the circumstances that led to it.
It was no longer a fair fight after the eye poke occurred, and with Gane having some early success, Aspinall would be putting himself at a tremendous disadvantage by stepping back into the fight. He could not see, and was forced to protect himself when others surely wouldn’t. Eye injuries are no joke, and hopefully Aspinall is able to fully recover, move forward and run back a rematch.
