Tom Aspinall names Alex Pereira among his favorite fighters to watch, highlights three more superstars
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall named his favorite fighters to watch in the UFC. It turns out the heavyweight superstar is a fan of the lower weight classes. The top of his list, however, belongs to a fellow champion just below his weight division: UFC light-heavyweight champ Alex 'Poatan' Pereira.
In a video uploaded on social media, Aspinall answered a question from a fan who goes by @connorhearns44, asking him about his favorite fighter to watch on the current roster and why.
Aspinall answered:
"I mean, there's a lot. I'm a big MMA fan, obviously, as well as a fighter. I think Alex Pereira was one of my favorites just because he's so exciting, like, he brings the heat a lot of the time. Big Ilia Topuria fan. Big Alex Volkanovski fan. But yeah, I think probably them three are the three guys I like watching the most at the moment. Oh, of course Islam Makhachev as well. I absolutely love his style."
Aspinall ended with:
"But to be honest, I watch any MMA, really. So, I'm a fan of everybody, but those are probably the top three or four guys I'm interested in watching."
Check out Tom Aspinall's answer here:
Jon Jones reiterates his desire to face Alex Pereira instead of Tom Aspinall
Many MMA fans, UFC president Dana White, and Tom Aspinall are in collective frustration at the moment as UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones isn't interested in a unification bout with the interim champ. Instead, he wants to challenge Aspinall's favorite fighter, Alex Pereira, in a "legacy" superfight.
This whole debacle started when Jones, in an interview with Kevin Iole, said that he thinks Aspinall "hasn't proven anything." He also explained that a Pereira fight is more "financially worth it" and that it would add more to his legacy than a unification bout with Tom Aspinall.
After handily dispatching Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last weekend, Jones reiterated his sentiments during the post-fight press conference, saying:
"I'm not really worried about the Tom [Aspinall] fight. I'm really worried about the Pereira fight. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to do, and I think if the UFC wants to have me back, then I think that's the fight they will make."
It looks like this bout is nearly in the bag as Pereira himself reposted a video of Jon Jones speaking on a possible superfight with him:
We'll see how this story develops as UFC president Dana White himself has gone on record multiple times that Jones should face Aspinall, regardless of what the champion thinks.