Aspinall v Gane - UFC title fight predictions

Tom Aspinall is set to make the first defence of his undisputed heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Manchester's Aspinall was upgraded from interim to undisputed champion in June when former American title holder Jon Jones retired.

Aspinall, 32, spent 19 months as interim champion, waiting for a bout with Jones to materialise, but had to refocus his sights on Gane when the match-up was confirmed three months ago.

Frenchman Gane, 35, is a former interim champion himself and is looking to win the undisputed belt for the first time.

Which fighter will be victorious at Etihad Arena on Saturday and usher in a new era for the UFC's heavyweight division?

You can follow live text commentary from 20:00 BST on the BBC Sport website and app, with the main event expected between 21:00 and 21:30.

Before the fight, BBC Sport has canvassed fighters and pundits for their predictions.

"I think it's going to be an amazing fight. I don't think it's going to go five rounds, but I think it's going to be Tom Aspinall. I think with the grappling and the strength, the power in his hands, he's a dangerous fighter."

Prediction: Aspinall

"I'm the worst guy to give predictions - every time I give predictions I fail. But if you ask me, I think Tom Aspinall has more opportunity to win. He looks better and better. But Ciryl Gane also has the chance to put him in deep water and the last rounds. We will see because we haven't seen Aspinall in a five-round fight.

"Ciryl Gane is a good opponent for him because he can move very well, can avoid damage, and he's worked on his wrestling skills. But on paper Tom Aspinall looks much better right now."

Prediction: Aspinall

"I think this Aspinall has so many tools, man. I've seen him fight the world's strongest man. I've seen him roll against the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu guys. And it's like... where are the holes?

"Ciryl Gane, we've seen the holes. I'm sure somebody with his calibre, he's not going to sit there and let that be a hole for long. But that experience level with Aspinall just trumps it, so I'm going to go with Aspinall on this one."

Prediction: Aspinall

"If Ciryl is able to use his footwork the way you assume he's going to plan to do, we might see a fight where Tom goes past the first round - even past the second, third, fourth and into the fifth.

"And that's what's fascinating to me - if Ciryl is able to be elusive, what does that look like for Tom?

"On the flipside, how elusive can any giant man be in an octagon? There is certainly the possibility that the second Tom Aspinall is able to shoot and get his hands on Ciryl Gane, it might look a lot like his [Gane's] fight against Jon Jones.

"But what's exciting is both of those possibilities are on the table and I do think Ciryl Gane is the biggest challenge for Aspinall right now because of his athleticism."

Prediction: Neutral

"Three minutes. Tom Aspinall will finish him in three minutes. If you want to put your money on it, Tom Aspinall will finish him in three minutes."

Prediction: Aspinall

"I think Tom should do it quite convincingly. Gane is a good athlete, but I think his grappling has always sort of lacked. He is a tricky striker, but Tom has a good solid base and a good team behind him. Tom should make easy work, but it's the fight business so we'll see."

Prediction: Aspinall

"It's a tough fight. Tom is a complete fighter, but I do feel like he's fought a lot of aggressive guys, and I think Gane is a guy who's gonna do a lot of moving, he's gonna be a little more cautious, and that moving around a lot might frustrate Tom.

"First, second, third round, maybe Tom can't find Ciryl Gane, I think it's gonna be a different fight."

Prediction: Neutral

"This fight is a very, very good fight. I'm very divided on this fight, because if we talk about domination, I think Tom Aspinall is dominating all his opponents, and he's knocking out everyone, so he's doing very, very good in the division.

"But on the other hand, we have Ciryl Gane. He is a guy that has faced tough competition that Tom Aspinall didn't face yet. And Gane has the experience to make this fight go a little bit more than one round, which is what Aspinall isn't used to.

"I'm like 50-50 on this fight, but I can see Gane using his experience and taking the belt."

Prediction: Gane

"I think Aspinall, because Gane hasn't really been active in MMA for the past year or so. He's been doing a movie while Aspinall has been in the gym because he thought he was going to fight Jon Jones.

"Aspinall has the momentum too. He's become a champion and has the confidence and all that to bring in there with him and he's going to perform. So I'll stick with the homeboy Tom."

Prediction: Aspinall

"I'll go Aspinall. Gane's been in there quite a few times now and doesn't seem to quite get there. Aspinall is the man who everyone wanted Jon Jones to fight. He's on a roll and got momentum behind him."

Prediction: Aspinall

Main card from 19:00 BST:

Tom Aspinall (c) v Ciryl Gane - UFC heavyweight title

Premilinary card from 15:00 BST: