On paper, UFC 321 wasn't terribly remarkable by any stretch of the imagination. With Tom Aspinall being a wide betting favorite to defend his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane and a strawweight title fight that felt like a consolation prize after Zhang Weili vacated the title to move up a division and challenge for the women's flyweight championship, the top of the card was one of the weaker pay-per-views of 2025.
Unfortunately, the fight card played out worse than it appeared on paper.
An unprecedented no-contest in the main event left fight fans feeling empty. Outside of a must-see head kick knockout by Quillan Salkilld, an absurd fourth consecutive heel hook submission finish from heavyweight Valter Walker and Azamat Murzakanov's of Alexander Volkov, it was a rough night for the UFC with a collection of subpar fights, two of which earned failing scores.
After each pay-per-view, we break down and assess the quality of each fight and the fight card itself based on skill displayed, competitiveness and what is at stake.
Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Quillan Salkilld
Result: Salkilld defeats Haqparast by first-round knockout
Grade: A
This was a downright frightening conclusion to a lightweight tilt between two evenly matched fighters. A right head kick from Salkilld in the opening round landed flush and crumbled Haqparast, who collapsed face-first on the canvas and stayed there for several minutes. It was one of those knockouts that you jump out of your seat for and immediately feel bad for enjoying.
Light heavyweight: Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Result: Murzakanov defeats Rakic by first-round TKO
Grade: B+
If you were to judge this fight by body types, Rakic's shredded build would have easily earned the victory. Instead, the solid Murzakanov torched Rakic with a simple jab. The punch absolutely wrecked the charging Rakic, whose punch resistance has clearly deteriorated over the years. Murzakanov is easily the most underestimated title contender creeping up the light heavyweight ladder.
Heavyweight: Valter Walker vs. Louie Sutherland
Result: Walker defeats Sutherland by submission
Grade: B
Four straight heel hook finishes from Walker is an absurd statistic, especially for a heavyweight. He made short work of Sutherland by impressively trapping the leg following a takedown. Sutherland was a fish out of water and tapped out in a hurry. Heavyweights aren't supposed to finish fights like this. Walker was impressive, and the heavyweight division must beware of the Brazilian. Oh, and stay for the postfight interview, in which Walker hilariously dismissed the translator and called for a fight with Hamdy Abdelwahab.
Lightweight: Ludovit Klein vs. Mateusz Rebecki
Result: Klein defeats Rebecki by majority decision
Grade: B
Rebecki was busted up from numerous crisp punches he absorbed from Klein in the first 10 minutes of the fight. Rebecki's refusal to abandon his strategy of staying in Klein's face almost paid off, as he nearly managed a come-from-behind win. After being thoroughly outstruck in the first two rounds, Rebecki secured a takedown in Round 3 and went to work with a blistering rally of ground-and-pound. Klein suffered an ankle injury when he was taken down, but managed to weather the storm and survive the round to earn the decision. This was an entertaining and bloody battle that had a dramatic pendulum swing in the final round. It's worth watching Klein's boxing against Rebecki's tenacity.
Men's bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista
Result: Nurmagomedov defeats Bautista by unanimous decision
Grade: C+
This was a good fight, but not quite a barnburner that you need to go out of your way to watch. Bautista refused to back down, no matter how tough things got for him inside the Octagon. Nurmagomedov also demonstrated resiliency after surviving an early toe hold submission that was cranked relentlessly by Bautista. Ultimately, Nurmagomedov's grappling was the difference maker and the win puts him back in title contention. But this fight won't end up on his career highlight reel.
Strawweight championship: Mackenzie Dern vs. Virna Jandiroba
Result: Dern defeats Jandiroba by unanimous decision
Grade: C+
Dern's evolution in striking continued with her title-winning performance against Jandiroba. While still flawed, Dern has improved enough to be taken seriously as a well-rounded fighter. Still, the fight lacked any notable moments, even though both women put on a gritty performance that left both of their faces swollen. Without the title on the line, this would have been a slightly above-average fight. The stakes made it more interesting, but it won't be remembered six months from now.
Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Jose Miguel Delgado
Result: Wood defeats Delgado by unanimous decision
Grade: C+
Delgado was a whirlwind of striking dominance early, and it appeared it would be a short, successful night after a head kick to spinning backfist combination sank Wood to the canvas. However, Wood was resilient as he steadied the ship and slowly clawed his way back into the fight. The action slowed after the opening round and Wood stayed competitive. After three rounds, it looked like Delgado was going to earn the decision, but the judges favored Wood's measured performance (29-28 three times). Delgado may have lost, but he showcased a ton of promise, while Wood has proven to be a tough out for everyone.
Strawweight: Jaqueline Amorim vs. Mizuki
Result: Mizuki defeats Amorim by unanimous decision
Grade: C-
This was your typical striker vs. grappler style clash that wasn't terribly exciting. There were long stretches early during which Amorim would get Mizuki to the canvas and chain submission attempts together. But Mizuki would avoid getting submerged in her opponent's jiu-jitsu and would land the more meaningful strikes, while staying out of trouble. A late charge from Mizuki on a fading Amorim in the third round was probably the most stirring moment of the fight, but it didn't make this a must-see fight by any means.
Men's flyweight: Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo
Result: Raposo defeats Maksum by unanimous decision
Grade: D+
When the most interesting moment of the fight is a fence grab, you can probably skip it. Don't blame Raposo because he came to fight as the betting underdog (+375 per ESPN BET). Maksum missed weight by three pounds on Friday and seemed unsure of himself, even though he appeared to be the more talented fighter of the two. But Raposo simply outworked Maksum and cemented the win when Maksum was deducted a point after using a blatant fence grab to escape a one-arm guillotine attempt. It was a good win for Raposo, but not an engagement worth writing home about.
Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov vs. JunYong Park
Result: Aliskerov defeats Park by unanimous decision
Grade: D
Do you like dominant grappling exhibitions? If you don't, this isn't your fight. Aliskerov routinely grounded a helpless Park at will and kept him down without necessarily coming close to securing a finish. It wasn't exciting by any stretch of the imagination, but it was effective enough to get Aliskerov a second consecutive win.
Heavyweight: Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Chris Barnett
Result: Abdelwahab defeats Barnett by unanimous decision
Grade: F+
Everything was going swimmingly for Abdelwahab, who looked as if he would secure a dominant first-round finish over Barnett.
Then the wheels came off the fight.
Referee Marc Goddard took a point away from Abdelwahab in Round 1 for a blatant elbow to the back of Barnett's head. From there, it was an absolute heavyweight disaster. Barnett had no answers for Abdelwahab, but Abdelwahab couldn't figure out how to finish a clearly broken fighter. It dissolved into a sloppy mess that saw Barnett's shorts slide off to reveal his backside in Round 2.
If you are looking for a fight that's so bad that you can find some entertainment in it, then Abdelwahab vs. Barnett is for you.
Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida
Result: Volkov defeats Almeida by split decision
Grade: F-
This was miserable to watch. Almeida took Volkov down seven times and maintained nearly 11 of the 15-minute fight of control time, but did absolutely nothing with it. Volkov managed to sneak in enough strikes in the four minutes he wasn't on his back to squeeze out a decision victory. Volkov did his best against an opponent who had only one game plan. This was really, really bad.
Heavyweight championship: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane
Result: Aspinall-Gane ends in a no-contest
Grade: Incomplete
Just when you thought Gane was going to present enough of a challenge to Aspinall to get out of the first round, the fight ended due to an accidental eye poke. Gane bloodied Aspinall's nose in the opening minute of the fight, which drew a smile from the champion who seemed excited to have a true challenge in the Octagon. Aspinall and Gane were engaged in an entertaining chess match before the challenger incidentally dug his fingers into both of the champion's eyes. Without a definitive outcome, this earned the rare grade of incomplete.
UFC 321 grade: D-
Salkilld's scintillating head kick knockout was just enough to save this card from completely flunking out. With a pair of Fs, an incomplete main event, a relatively average strawweight title bout and several unremarkable fights, UFC 321 will end up being remembered as the UFC's worst PPV of 2025.