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Alex Pereira reveals why Tom Aspinall may not be next after Ciryl Gane
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- Alex Pereira reveals why Tom Aspinall may not be next after Ciryl Gane
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alex Pereira can make UFC history next month when he fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250.
No fighter has ever won UFC belts in three divisions, but Pereira can reach that mark after conquering middleweight and light heavyweight.
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Yet when asked what could come after a potential win over Gane, Pereira made clear he does not expect Tom Aspinall to be ready immediately.
Alex Pereira doubts Tom Aspinall will be next
Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP via Getty Images
'Poatan' spoke to Eurosport's Alvaro Colmenaro and insisted he remains open to any opponent the UFC chooses after the Gane fight.
However, he sounded sceptical about Aspinall's recovery timeline following the eye injury and surgery that have kept the heavyweight champion sidelined.
Pereira explained: "Any athlete the UFC puts in front of me, I'll be willing to fight. But honestly, I think if I win the belt, I'm unlikely to fight Tom Aspinall next. Why? Because he won't be ready. Is he training yet? Has he recovered?"
"Everyone who knows me knows I want to fight frequently. Given how his last fight went, when am I going to fight him? I want to fight as soon as possible, so I think he won't be ready. But I hope he will be," the Brazilian star concluded.
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Tom Aspinall says UFC already gave him plan
Despite Pereira's comments, Aspinall has previously said the UFC told him he will fight the Pereira vs Gane winner when he returns.
He recently explained that his recovery is progressing well, but also admitted he is training without sparring for now.
In that context, the message from the Brazilian is simple: if he beats Gane, he wants momentum, and he is not prepared to wait too long.
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