Following Alex Pereira’s successful light heavyweight title defense this past Saturday at UFC 303, the Brazilian once again hinted at moving up to heavyweight to fight for another belt, something that current interim champion Tom Aspinall is interested in.
Alex Pereira continued his meteoric rise this past weekend, defending his UFC light heavyweight title for the second time, brutally knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the second round of their rematch.
Following his sensational performance, ‘Poatan’ once again answered questions about making history in an attempt to become the first fighter to win a title in three separate weight classes.
Tom Aspinall wants to fight Alex Pereira in UFC title fight
Current UFC interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, is in the final weeks of his UFC 304 training camp, as he prepares to take on Curtis Blaydes in a rematch.
Aspinall was front row for the 36-year-old’s UFC 300 title defense against Jamahal Hill, and again, following that fight, Pereira made it clear that he wanted to move up to heavyweight at some point.
Aspinall would welcome a fight against ‘Poatan’, and it is something we may see if the Brit is victorious at UFC 304 on July 27.
“As we’ve seen with me, I’m not shying away from anybody, so if the UFC want to do that (fight), I’m more than happy to do it,” the interim champion told talkSPORT.
The 31-year-old went on to express his respect for Pereira, labeling him as one of the ‘best fighters in UFC history’.
“As an elite-level fighter myself, you can’t help but be impressed with what Alex Pereira has done over the past couple of years. This time a few years ago no one knew who he was, now he’s one of the biggest stars in MMA, one of the best fighters in UFC history, I really respect what he’s done.
“Does that mean that I don’t want to fight him, no. I absolutely want to fight him, I’m sure there will be a time and a place for it, I’m not jumping ahead of things right now. If that’s what the UFC wants to do then we’ll absolutely do it,” Aspinall continued.
Despite being the interim champion, the likelihood of Aspinall fighting current champion, Jon Jones, in a unification bout, seems slim.
Jon Jones will weigh up his options after Stipe Miocic fight
To a large majority of the UFC fanbase, and respected figures within it, Aspinall is already being considered as the true heavyweight champion.
Jones’ fight against Stipe Miocic is still yet to be confirmed and scheduled by the UFC, despite Jones being adamant that it is taking place in November at Madison Square Garden.
When asked by a fan whether he will retire following the Miocic fight, Jones replied: “Honestly, it’s hard to say right now, I’m going to base a lot of that on my next performance. The options are looking crazy right now.”
‘Bones’ has previously spoken about fighting Pereira instead of Aspinall, if the time comes, because it’d be a bigger fight for him.
Having said that, the outcome of Aspinall’s fight against Blaydes, and Jones’ impending fight against Miocic, will either open up a lot of doors or slam them shut.
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