Alex Pereira might fulfill his dreams of becoming a three-division champion. Well, for that to happen, he will initially have to deal with Tom Aspinall. Pereira has been in the peak form of his life.
After clinching the middleweight title back in 2022, ‘Poatan’ also won the light heavyweight strap. But it is his antics post his light heavyweight victory that have made him a sensation in the UFC.
Defending his title in UFC 300, Pereira faced a gritty Jamahal Hill. Returning from injury, Hill vowed to regain the title he never lost. Sadly, Hill’s intentions did not come to fruition as he got slept in the first round of the bout.
Next up, Pereira turned up for yet another title defense in less than 120 days at UFC 303. This time too, he made quick work of Jiri Prochazka to retain his title. Looking at his dominant performances, Tom Aspinall has now offered him a chance to add another feather to his crown.
Tom Aspinall up for Alex Pereira
Tom Aspinall has his hands full with Curtis Blaydes waiting for him on July 27. However, once that fight is done, the current UFC interim heavyweight champion does not have a set path.
Aspinall has been waiting for Jon Jones since last year. The duo were slated to face off against each other in UFC 295. Unfortunately, a pectoral tear forced Jones out of the match.
Aspinall has since then tried to make the bout with Jones happen. But the champ did not seem interested and he will now be facing Stipe Miocic later this year. Thus, with Jones doubtful, Aspinall is eyeing a potential matchup with Alex Pereira.
Speaking about the same, Aspinall told talkSPORT, “As we have seen with me, I'm not shying away from anybody, so if the UFC wants to do that then I'm more than happy to do it. I absolutely want to fight him.”
Meanwhile, this seems to be quite a golden opportunity for Alex Pereira. If he can manage to get his hands on the heavyweight gold, Pereira will be the first-ever UFC athlete to win a three-division belt. But the important question is, is Poatan up for it?
Will Alex Pereira move up to heavyweight
Immediately after his UFC 300 victory, Alex Pereira expressed his interest in moving up to heavyweight. He also reiterated the same after UFC 303. But UFC head honcho, Dana White did not seem too interested in the idea. He instead advised Pereira to concentrate on light heavyweight and prove himself a bit more.
Several UFC legends like Daniel Cormier too, asked Pereira to fight the likes of Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev. Thus, it is very much possible that Pereira’s next bout could be either of the two. So as things stand, Tom Aspinall will likely have another prolonged wait after his match with Curtis Blaydes concludes a couple of weeks from now.
