Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Analyst Thomas Not excited about the co-main event of UFC 321.
UFC 321 will take place this Saturday (October 25, 2025) at the Etihad Arena “Battle Island” In Abu Dhabi, ranked first Verna Jandiroba Will challenge fan-favorite No. 5 player Mackenzie Dunn for the vacant strawweight title.
advertise
While most would agree that a UFC world title fight would naturally bring excitement, Thomas, who regularly appears on UFC broadcasts, isn't buying it.
“I mean that with all due respect,” Thomas told Anthony Smith on his “On Paper” podcast. “I'm trying to show the same respect, but has there ever been a more insignificant title fight in history? Maybe not in history, but in recent memory? You know what I mean, right? No one seems to care or bat an eyelid at this fight.”
Ouch.
Thomas and Smith both explained their reasoning, saying the game felt hollow because of the former champion Zhang Weili Voluntarily vacating the belt to pursue a second championship in another division. In their eyes, the winner of Dunn vs. Jandiroba will hold a belt that Chang will likely take back when he returns.
advertise
Of course, Dunne won the title despite going 2-2 in his last four fights, which drew criticism from fans and fighters alike. Many believe she was promoted because she was a well-known name with crossover appeal, not necessarily because she was the most deserving contender.
Still, Thomas believes the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has what it takes to finally reach her potential — if she takes the game seriously.
“If you look at some of Mackenzie's performances, I feel like she's a little Kevin Holland “She just doesn't live up to her potential,” Thomas said. “She punches as hard as anyone in grappling, she grapples as hard as anyone in grappling, she can be energized for days on end, she doesn't get tired… It's just that sometimes, she just doesn't seem to care about the fight.”
“I talked to her at the table and she said, 'Oh, I don't really know how to knock someone out with my fists,' and she's already a pro and doesn't know these things, and I'm like, how do you do that?” Thomas concluded. “She's really good on the ground, she's very athletic, and she was born for this. She's been fighting her whole life. I feel like if she's serious about it, I think she should win this fight easily.”
advertise
Whether or not this fight feels “trivial,” the opportunity in front of Dunne is huge. A victory over Jandiroba would establish her as the new UFC strawweight champion and potentially lead to a blockbuster unification match with Zhang Weili.
Dern enters UFC 321 as a -148 betting favorite to win gold for the first time in her career.
live! Watch UFC 321 PPV on ESPN+!
Undisputed heavyweight championship fight! The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view (PPV) format on Saturday, October 25, 2025, when a blockbuster title fight headlines UFC 321 inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. UFC 321 PPV main event, heavyweight championship, Tom Aspinallcompeting against the number one contender for the title, Cyril Gunnin a high-stakes five-round contest. UFC 321 PPV co-main event will feature women's strawweight championship showdown Verna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dunn. UFC 321 will also feature a bantamweight bout Omar Nurmagomedov and Mario BatistaA heavyweight pit stop race Alexander Volkov and Jardon Almeidaa light heavyweight contest Aleksandar Rakic and Azamat Murzhakhanovand more! UFC 321 is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET (“Early Preliminaries”), 12 noon ET (“Preliminary” base card), and 2 p.m. ET (PPV main card).
Don't miss a second of your face-slapping action!
Where to buy:
please remember MMAmania.com The entire event will be broadcast live game by game and event by event. UFC 321 fight card,from ESPN+/Disney+/FX “preliminaries” Online competition, expected to begin at 10 a.m. ET,Before Main card start time exist 2 p.m. ET (also in ESPN+).
For the latest and greatest UFC 321: “Aspinall vs. Gane” news and notes, be sure to visit our comprehensive event archive here.