Rumors have been circulating on the internet about a potential superfight between UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira. However, the British fighter does not seem too optimistic about the matchup becoming a reality. Aspinall recently took to Twitter to ask fans who he should fight in 2024, and one individual responded by mentioning Pereira’s name.
Aspinall then claimed that Brazilian fighter Pereira intends to defend his place on the light heavyweight throne next, understandingly stating, “[Alex Pereira] wants to defend his 205 title.” Aspinall is currently enjoying a successful run in the UFC, with the 30-year-old entering the top MMA promotion holding a 7-2 record and winning seven out of his eight UFC fights. Notably, all of Aspinall’s UFC victories have come via finishes, and his only loss resulted from a knee injury against Curtis Blaydes.
The Salford native was last seen in action in November 2023 when he faced Sergei Pavlovich, who himself was riding a six-fight knockout win streak in the promotion. The interim heavyweight title was on the line for the fight held at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York. Aspinall rose to the occasion that night, defeating Pavlovich via a first-round knockout to win the interim belt and earning a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus worth $50,000.
Alex Pereira’s UFC journey has been nothing short of incredible. With just seven fights in the multi-billion-dollar promotion, ‘Poatan’ has managed to capture a UFC title in two different weight divisions and has defeated four different UFC champions in the process. Pereira started his UFC journey in November 2021 after building a 3-1 professional record. He faced Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268 and achieved a second-round knockout.
The Brazilian fighter then went on to score victories against Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland, earning him a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. The 36-year-old shocked the world that night by becoming the first fighter to defeat Adesanya at middleweight. The two fought in a rematch at UFC 287, where ‘The Last Stylebender’ avenged his loss by finishing Pereira in the second round. ‘Poatan’ then moved up to light heavyweight and fought Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. Pereira edged out a split decision victory and faced Jiri Prochazka for the light heavyweight title at UFC 295. That night, Pereira joined the short-list of UFC fighters to win a title in two divisions, knocking Prochazka out in the second round of their encounter.