UFC Rumors: MMA Legend Goes Against Joe Rogan and Dana White to Call for Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall

“Maybe see you next year at some point,” said Tom Aspinall in one of his YouTube videos when he was talking about Alex Pereira. The current light-heavyweight champion has been on the roll recently due to his continued winning as well as knockout streaks. After defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, ‘Poatan’ confessed that he would like to fight for the heavyweight title in the near future. This statement by the dual weight champion has sparked widespread discussion in the MMA community about a potential matchup between Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and Alex Pereira.

At the UFC 304 post-fight press conference, Tom Aspinall urged the UFC to make a championship fight between him, Pereira, and Jon Jones on a single day. Despite being a great idea, Dana White never really took it into consideration. Interestingly, a UFC insider has come forward to actually push forward Alex Pereira to fight Aspinall and Jones.

UFC insider roots for Alex Pereira to get the champ-champ-champ status

“The guy’s a superstar in the sport so, do whatever you want. If we meet, for sure, I think we’re both on the same page, it’s gonna be for an undisputed Heavyweight title,” said Tom Aspinall in his recent video uploaded on his YouTube handle. The interim heavyweight champion of the world appears to be interested in facing Alex Pereira in the near future. Why? Because Aspinall believes that he has what it takes to stop Pereira’s knockout train. On the other hand, ‘Poatan’ has expressed his interest in taking on Jon Jones to become the first UFC triple champ of the world.

Looking at the confusing scenario, former UFC fighter and Hall Of Famer, Chael Sonnen has come forward to provide his analysis. The American Gangster’ believes that the UFC would not get another opportunity to have a triple champ if they miss this chance, “Joe Rogan is supporting the idea of Pereira vs. Aspinall. We know Aspinall will do it; we know Pereira will do it. Here’s a chance to set history. A champ-champ-champ is not likely to ever happen again.”

Sonnen further emphasized that there is a large group of fans who would like to see Pereira face heavyweight fighters.“Here is a really big population that wants to see Jon Jones vs. Pereira. There is also a really big population that would rather see Jon Jones vs. Aspinall. The winner of Ankalaev and Rakic is going to take on Pereira. Okay, whatever your level of excitement for that is, it still does not equal how badly you would like to see Pereira taking on Tom.”

Alex Pereira was rumored to fight Magomed Ankalaev at the end of the year but the Russian fighter’s manager emphasized that the UFC has some different plans for him. It is now a fact that the Dagestani will have to beat Alexander Rakic at UFC 308 to make sure that he faces Pereira in the future. So are we going to witness a clash between Tom Aspinall and Alex Pereira soon? Let’s find out.

Will there be a clash between Aspinall and Pereira?

The world wants to see Alex Pereira climb the division, face top contenders in the heavyweight division, and claim the heavyweight title. However, what’s ‘Poatan’s opinion? Well, the light-heavyweight champion is looking to defend his belt one more time before jumping the division. In one of his conversations, Pereira explained that he would like to test his mettle against Magomed Ankalaev.

Interestingly, even Dana White has stated that it is better for him to stay a light-heavyweight for now, “He’s had a couple fights there, defended his title. But it’s not like this guy’s been in the division for two years and he ran through everybody that’s in the division,” said Dana White at the UFC 303 press conference.

When the UFC CEO was asked about the potential clash between Jon Jones and Alex Pereira at The Pat McAfee Show, White emphatically said, “No.” This decision to keep fighters busy in their own divisions is a good one. There was a time when every champion wanted to fight for a second belt and divisions would be stalled due to the same. If White is bullish on champions defending their titles, it bodes well for the up-and-coming contenders. Except at heavyweight, White is not on board with the obvious #1 contender and interim champion, Tom Aspinall, fighting Jon Jones next.

Well, the heavyweight division will have to go through a metamorphism in order to be relevant once again. In all likelihood, Tom Aspinall will be the catalyst to that change. But who will he fight? Jones or Pereira? What’s your take on the hubbub? State your thoughts in the comments below.