Alex Pereira (13-3) has suggested Tom Aspinall (15-3, 1 NC) may not be his next opponent even if he wins the interim heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane (13-2, 1 NC) on Sunday, citing the champion’s recovery from eye surgery as a likely obstacle.
“I don’t think that Tom’s going to be ready. I don’t think he’s even training. He’s recovering from surgery and then training, and I’m a guy that I want to get ready, I want to fight somebody as soon as possible,” Pereira
Aspinall suffered an eye injury in his no-contest against Gane after being accidentally poked, and remains on the sidelines while he recovers after surgery to address his bilateral Brown’s syndrome, an eye condition that impacted his vision.
Pereira is focused on Gane for now, and dismissed any advantage the Frenchman might gain from bringing in former kickboxing opponent Artem Vakhitov as a training partner. A win on Sunday would make Pereira the first man in the UFC to win belts in three weight classes and the mandatory challenger for Aspinall’s heavyweight title.