Tom Aspinall expresses interest in massive heavyweight clash against Alex Pereira: "I absolutely want to fight him"
Tom Aspinall weighed in on a potential bout against Alex Pereira and expressed interest in making the massive heavyweight clash a reality. He noted that he would welcome a bout against the Brazilian should he pursue a move up to heavyweight.
'Poatan' has been linked with the interim heavyweight champion since he expressed interest in moving up following his win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 300. The reigning light heavyweight champion revealed that the promotion wasn't too interested in the idea of him competing in a heavyweight bout, so he defended his title against Jiri Prochazka instead.
Championship Rounds tweeted a clip from the Englishman's recent conversation with talkSport in which he discussed 'Poatan' possibly moving up to heavyweight in the future. Aspinall heaped praise on Pereira for his rapid UFC success and mentioned that he would be interested in fighting him. He said:
"I'm not shying away from anybody, so if the UFC want to do that, I'm more than happy to do it. But I think as an elite level fighter myself, you can't help but be impressed with Alex Pereira has done over the past couple of years.
"I absolutely want to fight him but I'm sure there will be a time and a place for it...If that's what the UFC want to do one day, then we'll absolutely do it."
Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below:
Is Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira realistic?
A heavyweight bout between Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira isn't too far-fetched, especially considering the current state of the division.
Aspinall is currently scheduled to defend his interim heavyweight championship against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 later this month. Meanwhile, reigning champion Jon Jones is believed to be defending his title against Stipe Miocic later this year.
With that in mind, there could be an opportunity for the promotion to book Aspinall vs. Pereira, should he defeat Blaydes. If that materializes, it would also ensure that the interim champion remains active and isn't waiting on the sidelines for the Jones vs. Miocic winner, which could keep them out of action for the remainder of the year.
Check out MMA Orbit's tweet regarding Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira below:
![Tweet regarding Aspinall vs. Pereira [Image courtesy: @mma_orbit - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/70f0e-17200347753348-1920.jpg?w=500)