Tom Aspinall explains why potential 2024 showdown against Alex Pereira is unlikely to come to fruition
Rumors of a superfight between UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira have been doing the rounds on the internet.
However, the British fighter does not seem too optimistic about the matchup becoming a reality. Aspinall recently uploaded a post on Twitter asking fans who he should fight in 2024. One individual responded by sharing Pereira's name.
Aspinall then claimed that the Brazilian intending to defend his place on the light heavyweight throne next:
"[Alex Pereira] wants to defend his 205 title. Which I understand."
Aspinall is currently having a great run in the UFC. The 30-year-old entered the top MMA promotion with a 7-2 record and then proceeded to win seven out of his eight fights in the UFC.
Another interesting thing to note is that all of Aspinall's UFC victories have come via finishes, and the only loss he suffered was due to a knee injury against Curtis Blaydes.
The Salford native was last seen in action in November 2023, when he locked horns against 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, which took place at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York.
Aspinall rose to the occasion that night and defeated Pavlovich via first-round knockout to win the interim belt. The 30-year-old's victory also earned him a 'Performance of the Night' bonus worth $50,000.
A brief look at Alex Pereira's UFC journey
Alex Pereira's UFC run has been nothing short of incredible. In 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.
After building a 3-1 professional record, Alex Pereira started his UFC journey in November 2021. He faced Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268 and knocked him out in the second round.
The Brazilian then went on to score victories against Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland. This earned him a title shot agaisnt 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 then 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. The Brazilian edged out a split decision victory and was then matched up against 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 as he knocked Prochazka out in the second round of their encounter.