UFC 321 Media Day Highlights

This weekend, the UFC is back on PPV for a card headlined by Tom Aspinall defending his Heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Today, we had the opportunity to hear from the fighters leading up to their big matchups on Saturday; here's what they had to say.

Tom Aspinall Not Concerned About a Potential Longer Fight

When he was told his opponent, Ciryl Gane, had said he wanted to take Aspinall into "Deep waters," Aspinall confirmed that he used those words and provided an interesting statistic on his past opponents.

>"Everybody that says deep waters gets knocked out in the first minute." - Tom Aspinall

We will see if Aspinall can continue this trend on Saturday as he faces what could be his toughest fight yet.

Ciryl Gane Believes Him and Aspinall are New Breed Heavyweights

When asked what stands out about Tom Aspinall in comparison to his past opponents, Gane was complimentary of his skill set and style, showing respect for the champion.

>"He's well rounded. He's a new breed like me." - Ciryl Gane

Gane also mentioned he feels much less pressure entering his third undisputed title fight, which could lead to a career-best showing this weekend.

Virna Jandiroba Not Overthinking First Fight Against Dern

Ahead of her fight for the vacant Strawweight title against Mackenzie Dern, Jandiroba was asked about her thoughts on the first matchup between the two, which took place nearly five years ago.

>"More important than the fight itself is what I learned from it." - Virna Jandiroba

Jandiroba is very confident that she is a completely different fighter than she was back then and is prepared to show it on Saturday.

Mackenzie Dern Confident in MMA Game Ahead of Title Fight

Dern discussed how she matches up with her opponent, Virna Jandiroba, heading into their rematch for the vacant title, and Dern understands where she wants this fight to go and the challenges she faces in getting there.

>"I know my grappling is higher level than hers, but this is MMA." - Mackenzie Dern

As a credential jiu-jitsu grappler, it is easy to see why Dern has such confidence in that area, although she was clear in acknowledging this is not a jiu-jitsu match.