Sidelined in the aftermath of his devastating first round at UFC 300 earlier this month, light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira insists his fighting future is not directly in his hands off the back of the event, however, has not shied away from a potential July comeback to fight Tom Aspinall for interim heavyweight gold at UFC 304.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and the light heavyweight division’s current pacesetter, headlined UFC 300 last weekend against former champion, Jamahal Hill, comfortably dispatching the Illinois native with a blistering first round KO win.
And in the immediate aftermath of his victory, Sao Paulo favorite, Pereira echoed calls for a potential UFC 301 comeback in just less than three weeks time in his native Brazil – in a potential heavyweight divisional debut.
However, revealing a second fractured toe suffered in the first round of his bout with Hill – Pereira, who had fractured another toe even prior to his UFC 300 appearance, was ultimately ruled from a Rio de Janeiro return.
Alex Pereira weighs up UFC 304 outing
Rejecting an offer to meet with Russian contender, Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 308 in October, citing his preference for a quickfire return after emerging unscathed from his fight with Hill, Pereira explored the option of a July fight with British heavyweight star, Aspinall.
“I have to see what’s best for me, but I’m not alone,” Alex Pereira told MMA Fighting regarding a potential fight with Tom Aspinall in June. “I have my managers with me. I’m here, I’m like a gamecock – you put another rooster in front of me and I’m there to fight, and we will fight, you know?”
“But we have to see what’s best for me, my career, and my team,” Alex Pereira explained. “I’m open to fighting whoever, but I’m not the one who decides.”
Himself confirming the promotion’s return to the United Kingdom at the end of July for a Manchester pay-per-view event, Atherton native, Aspinall also revealed he would be fighting at UFC 304 in a homecoming, and was just waiting for his opponent to ink terms on a clash.
Who wins in a future title clash: Tom Aspinall or Alex Pereira?