On Saturday, at a sold-out Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Aspinall returned to the Octagon for the first time in 15 months to defend his crown against Gane. However, after all the anticipation, the bout was brought to an abrupt halt with just 25 seconds of the first round to go.
A brutal, but accidental double-eye poke left the Brit unable to see, leaving referee Jason Herzog with no choice but to stop the fight. The clash was officially ruled a no contest, with Aspinall retaining his heavyweight crown as a result.
Even before the incident, however, it was Gane who had the upper hand in the contest. The challenger delivered a series of leg-kicks and quick combos while using nimble footwork to stay out of his opponent’s range. Gane had bloodied Aspinall’s nose too, having landed a stiff shot in the opening seconds of the fight.
Doctors have since told Aspinall that he sustained no ‘dangerous’ injury to either eye and should recover fully. UFC CEO Dana White has already promised an immediate rematch between Aspinall and Gane while speaking at the UFC 321 post-fight press conference.
In the aftermath of one of his worst UFC performances, an Octagon veteran has told Aspinall exactly how to make life “much easier” next time out.
Tom Aspinall Urged to Re-Think Approach in Ciryl Gane Rematch
Speaking during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, former welterweight stalwart Matt Brown claimed that Aspinall could use more of his wrestling ability, which many feel is an undervalued part of the 32-year-old’s skill set, and was crucial in his arch-nemesis Jon Jones’ victory over Gane at UFC 285.
“I think that could have been one of the great heavyweight wars… that was shaping up to be a great fight,” Brown told Helwani.
“I was interested to see Aspinall’s game plan because it looked like he didn’t really push hard for any takedowns, and my guess is probably that he was just waiting for the right time. We have to assume that if he was able to land the takedown, it’d be a much easier fight for him.”
And when asked for his predictions for the planned rematch, Brown doubled down on his belief that Aspinall’s best chance at victory lies on the mat rather than using his well-renowned striking skills against Gane.
“I would still put my money on Aspinall, but if his game plan is going to be to stand with him, it’s kind of a 50-50,” Brown concluded.
While there has been some speculation that the rematch could take place before the end of 2025, no official announcement has been made by the UFC. Whenever the pair meet again, though, Aspinall will want to impose himself on the contest far more than he did on Saturday night.
Manchester United will be eager to hit the ground running in 2026/26 after defying expectations with a third-place finish in the 2025/26 Premier League. The Red Devils were the best of the rest behind Arsenal and Manchester City last season, but it is clear from early cup exits that their squad requires a boost if they are to mount a serious challenge on any front in the upcoming campaign.
With Senne Lammens doing an impressive job between the posts, goalkeeper is no longer a problem area, but the midfield and defence could certainly do with some improvement, especially if Man Utd wish to concede fewer than the 50 goals they shipped in the league last term.
The likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko joined last season and shared the goal-scoring load, but a little more incision in the final third would go a long way towards making Michael Carrick’s side a truly dangerous prospect.
Ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, GIVEMESPORT brings you every new signing and departure from Old Trafford.
Manchester United are looking ahead to pre-season, with a tour planned for the summer camp.
Man Utd Departures 2026/27
Player
Nationality
New Club
Fee
Rasmus Hojlund
Denmark
Napoli
£43 million
Casemiro
Brazil
Released
N/A
Tyrell Malacia
Netherlands
Released
N/A
The first official departure from Manchester United in the summer of 2026 was Rasmus Hojlund, who joins Napoli on a permanent deal. The Denmark international had been on loan with the Partenopei and their qualification for the Champions League triggered the completion of a full transfer worth £43 million.
The 2026 Formula One season rolls into the ‘jewel in the crown’ this weekend at Monaco, for the first European race of the season. The legendary Monaco circuit brings a huge challenge for the drivers with 78 laps of racing on a tight and twisty circuit with the barriers never being far away.
The Monaco circuit consists of 19 corners with minimal overtaking opportunities, with only short straights and no straight mode zones, meaning drivers will not get additional power to assist with overtakes. The circuit could be well suited to the Ferrari car, which has looked good in slow speed sections so far. They aim to stop Mercedes‘ 100% winning record in proper races this season.
Kimi Antonelli comes into the race with a big 43-point lead over teammate George Russell after securing his fourth win in succession at the Canadian Grand Prix, but where will he finish this weekend?
We have asked the Supercomputer to predict who it thinks will come out on top.
Monaco GP predicted by Supercomputer (22-11)
Position
Driver
Team
22.
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
21.
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
20.
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
19.
Sergio Perez
Cadillac
18.
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi
17.
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
16.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
15.
Esteban Ocon
Haas
14.
Alex Albon
Williams
13.
Carlos Sainz
Williams
12.
Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
11.
Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
10 Franco Colapinto
Alpine
Alpine have had a strong start to the season which they will be looking to build upon. Argentine Colapinto picked up a sixth-place finish in Canada last time out and the Supercomputer predicts him to get another points finish this weekend in Monaco.
9 Oliver Bearman
Haas
Bearman has been one of the standout drivers this season so far, sitting in ninth position in the Drivers’ Championship with 18 points. He is predicted to get his tally up to 20 points, picking up a couple more this weekend for the Haas team.
8 Max Verstappen
Red Bull
Four-time champion Max Verstappen comes into the Monaco Grand Prix on a high off the back of his first podium of the season in Canada. It is predicted, however, that Red Bull will have a difficult weekend, with their car struggling with issues on bumpy tracks, something which the Monaco circuit is, which will dent any chance the Dutchman has of recreating his Canada exploits.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly is another driver who has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season. He has been a consistent point scorer so far and this is not likely to change, according to the Supercomputer’s predictions.
6 Oscar Piastri
McLaren
McLaren will have to shake off the disappointments from Canada, where a strategy error, which put them on intermediate tyres instead of slicks at the start, derailed their weekend completely. Piastri later had contact with Albon in the race before trundling to an 11th-place finish. The Supercomputer believes the Australian will, however, bounce back with a solid sixth-place finish and put some good points on the board.
5 Lando Norris
McLaren
Next comes Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris. Also suffering from the strategy blunder, his race came to an end on lap 38 due to a gearbox issue. The current champion won last year in Monaco, but has a far inferior car compared to the last visit to the principality. The Supercomputer predicts the Brit to come home in fifth place this Sunday.
4 George Russell
Mercedes
Following the perfect start in Australia in the season opener, Russell’s season has since gone a bit off script. The Brit has been outshone by teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli and suffered a mechanical failure while leading in Canada last time out, seeing him plummet to 43 points behind the Italian in the championship. The Supercomputer predicts Russell will finish P4 this weekend, further losing ground in the championship battle.
F1 25 have released the 2026 Season, and the new ratings have caused quite a stir.
3 Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will come into Monaco full of confidence following a second-place finish in Canada. With a strong Ferrari car behind him, he will be in the fight for victory this weekend. He is a three-time winner at this venue and will look to use his experience to propel himself further up the order. The Supercomputer believes he will fall just short of the victory and will come home in third.
2 Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
The 19-year-old Italian wonderkid has set the F1 season alight so far, winning four of the opening five races. He is full of confidence, with both himself and his car firing on all cylinders. The Italian has a great chance of victory this weekend and making it five on the bounce. Despite this, the Supercomputer predicts he will narrowly miss out on victory, but will still extend his lead in the championship by another six points.
1 Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Hometown hero Charles Leclerc comes into the weekend trying to recreate the heroics from his emotional victory here in 2024. Having grown up in the streets of Monaco, there is nobody on the grid who knows the track like the 28-year-old. This, and a circuit that suits the Ferrari car, will combine the perfect mix to set Leclerc on his way to victory, giving us a non-Mercedes race winner for the first time this season. Not a bad way to celebrate a new contract, either.
Celtic are pushing to secure a new manager, and an update from Sky Sports has now emerged on their pursuit of Robbie Keane.
Martin O’Neill was brought to the club during the 2025/2026 campaign, but the experienced manager only signed a deal until the summer.
The Glasgow giants are now in the market to find a replacement, despite O’Neill winning the Scottish Premiership title.
Although Celtic lifted the title during the 2025/2026 season, some of their performances were still a concern, so it’s no surprise to see them pursuing other options.
The Bhoys now need a strong summer transfer window under a new manager, if they want to win the league without having to wait until the final day.
According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have held constructive talks with Keane about taking over as manager.
Further discussions have now been scheduled as Celtic weigh up bringing their former striker to the club.
Sky Sports also shared the ‘breaking news’ live on air, with Celtic pushing to secure Keane as their manager.
It looks as though Keane could be their man, although Dermot Desmond does want to understand if O’Neill would be interested in taking the job on a permanent basis.
