Tom Aspinall talks failed UFC 300 title super fight with Alex Pereira: ‘I was more interested than him’
Interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall has claimed that despite his interest in defending his interim crown against light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira at UFC 300 next month in a rumored clash – the Brazilian seemed to share less of a wanting than him.
Aspinall, who minted himself as the interim heavyweight champion last November, did so on the same card as Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira’s light heavyweight title ascension.
Himself landing an impressive stoppage on the feet at the Madison Square Garden event, Atherton native, Aspinall turned in a first round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich – ending the Russian’s roughshod run of wins.
Becoming a duel-weight champion on that same card, Pereira stopped Jiri Prochazka with a second round TKO win in the pair’s vacant title main event, adding to spoils secured a division lower at middleweight.
And slated to himself headline UFC 300, Pereira, an inductee to the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame – is set to take on the returning former champion, Jamahal Hill on the monstrous card.
However, in weeks ahead of the pay-per-view, speculation was rife across social media that Aspinall would be welcoming Pereira to the heavyweight limit at UFC 300 – with the Brazilian attempting to become the first three-weight champion in Octagon antiquity.
Noting his intentions to eventually climb as high as heavyweight, Pereira insisted that a move as soon as UFC 300 would simply come too soon for him to prepare sufficiently.
Tom Aspinall addresses failed UFC 300 fight with Alex Pereira
And despite links, Aspinall claims there were some talks about a potential superfight between the two, however, he appeared to be the more interested party.
“It was [a potential fight at UFC 300] – it was, to be honest,” Tom Aspinall told Michael Bisping during an appearance on his YouTube channel. “We did a bit of flirting with the idea. I was more interested than him, it seemed.”
“It just seemed, he wants to – long story short, it turns out, he wants to go to heavyweight, [but] doesn’t want to go to heavyweight yet. So, that’s all we can do.”
Himself awaiting the victor of an expected title unification bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic next – Aspinall came face-to-face with the former pound-for-pound number one today, seeing an initially cordial exchange almost turn sour.
Would you like to see Alex Pereira take on Tom Aspinall soon?
