Dana White: Tom Aspinall would have fought at White House if healthy

UFC president Dana White said Tom Aspinall would have defended his heavyweight title against Alex Pereira at the White House event if the champion had been fit, underscoring matchmaking shaped by injuries. Instead, Ciryl Gane is scheduled to meet Pereira for an interim heavyweight title in the co-headliner of UFC White House: Freedom 250 on June 14. White told UFC on TNT Sports that '100%' Aspinall vs. Pereira was the plan, citing timing and injuries among champions. Aspinall is sidelined after a double eye poke versus Gane resulted in a no-contest at UFC 320 last October. White's earlier comments drew pushback, and Aspinall later signed with Eddie Hearn's management. Scope: remarks, scheduling context, and status updates only.