Andrew Ravens
Alex Pereira has no intention of sitting idle while Tom Aspinall recovers from surgery. Speaking to TNT Fight Sports ahead of his interim heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House, Pereira made clear that his priority after the fight is getting back into action as quickly as possible, regardless of what the unification picture looks like.
Aspinall, the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion, has not been cleared for sparring following double eye surgery sustained during his fight with Gane at UFC 321 in October. With no confirmed return timeline, Pereira is not prepared to put his year on hold.
“I don’t think that Tom’s going to be ready,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “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. I want to get another fight as soon as possible. I want to make sure I finish the year. Again, I’m 38 years old. I ain’t got time to lose, so I need to fight.”
The situation between Aspinall and the UFC adds further uncertainty to the heavyweight picture beyond Sunday. Aspinall and his representative, Eddie Hearn, have not appeared to be on the same page as the promotion in recent months, leaving the path to unification unclear even if Pereira wins the interim belt on Sunday.
His 2025 included a light heavyweight title loss to Magomed Ankalaev, followed by a quick TKO rematch victory in October to reclaim the belt before vacating it to pursue heavyweight gold. A win over Gane on Sunday would make Pereira the first fighter in UFC history to win a version of a title in three separate weight classes.
