Tom Aspinall talks failed UFC 300 title super fight with Alex Pereira: ‘I was more interested than him’

Tom Aspinall talks failed UFC 300 superfight with Alex Pereira I was more interested than himInterim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall has claimed that despite his interest in defending his interim crown against light heavyweight…

Tom Aspinall talks failed UFC 300 superfight with Alex Pereira I was more interested than him

Interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall has claimed that despite his interest in defending his interim crown against light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira at UFC 300 next month in a rumored clash – the Brazilian seemed to share less of a wanting than him.

Aspinall, who minted himself as the interim heavyweight champion last November, did so on the same card as Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira’s light heavyweight title ascension.

Tom Aspinall death threats for chasing title fight with Jon Jones in UFC next
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz – USA TODAY Sports

Himself landing an impressive stoppage on the feet at the Madison Square Garden event, Atherton native, Aspinall turned in a first round knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich – ending the Russian’s roughshod run of wins. 

Becoming a duel-weight champion on that same card, Pereira stopped Jiri Prochazka with a second round TKO win in the pair’s vacant title main event, adding to spoils secured a division lower at middleweight.

And slated to himself headline UFC 300, Pereira, an inductee to the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame – is set to take on the returning former champion, Jamahal Hill on the monstrous card. 

Alex Pereira claims he's back in cryptic post on social media amid links to fight at UFC 300
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

However, in weeks ahead of the pay-per-view, speculation was rife across social media that Aspinall would be welcoming Pereira to the heavyweight limit at UFC 300 – with the Brazilian attempting to become the first three-weight champion in Octagon antiquity. 

Noting his intentions to eventually climb as high as heavyweight, Pereira insisted that a move as soon as UFC 300 would simply come too soon for him to prepare sufficiently. 

Tom Aspinall addresses failed UFC 300 fight with Alex Pereira

And despite links, Aspinall claims there were some talks about a potential superfight between the two, however, he appeared to be the more interested party.

“It was [a potential fight at UFC 300] – it was, to be honest,” Tom Aspinall told Michael Bisping during an appearance on his YouTube channel. “We did a bit of flirting with the idea. I was more interested than him, it seemed.”

“It just seemed, he wants to – long story short, it turns out, he wants to go to heavyweight, [but] doesn’t want to go to heavyweight yet. So, that’s all we can do.” 

Jon Jones comes face to face with Tom Aspinall quickly takes hand off shoulder in tense meeting

Himself awaiting the victor of an expected title unification bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic next – Aspinall came face-to-face with the former pound-for-pound number one today, seeing an initially cordial exchange almost turn sour.

Would you like to see Alex Pereira take on Tom Aspinall soon?

Alex Pereira remains huge betting favorite to beat Jamahal Hill in UFC 300 title headliner

Alex Pereira remains huge betting favorite to beat Jamahal Hill at UFC 300Less than a month out from a monumental UFC 300 card, event headliner, Alex Pereira still remains a distinct…

Alex Pereira remains huge betting favorite to beat Jamahal Hill at UFC 300

Less than a month out from a monumental UFC 300 card, event headliner, Alex Pereira still remains a distinct betting favorite to beat incoming foe, Jamahal Hill – and successfully retain his light heavyweight crown as part of one of the biggest event’s of Octagon history.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion, returns to the Octagon next month in the main event of UFC 300, taking on Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Hill in his first attempted defense of his title at 205 pounds.

Last time out, the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame inductee landed his second promotional title with a blistering second round TKO win over former champion, Jiri Prochazka, felling the Czech Republic native with a stoppage at UFC 295 last November at Madison Square Garden.

For Hill, the Illinois native has yet to make his comeback since he defeated Alex Pereira’s compatriot, close friend and teammate, Glover Teixeira last January on enemy territory in Brazil.

Alex Pereira remains favorite to beat Jamahal Hill at UFC 300

And entering his first fight since suffered a ruptured achilles last summer, Hill is closing as a sizeable +130 betting underdog to beat the incumbent -155 betting favorite, Alex Pereira atop the T-Mobile Arena card at UFC 300. 

Fans hoping to splash some cash on some of the biggest UFC next matches can check out all the latest odds on future fight cards and fast-approaching clashes over at Sportsbet.io – with punters and bettors receiving live up to date odds for each fight on many incoming cards. 

Alex Pereira claims he's back in cryptic post on social media amid links to fight at UFC 300
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

First lifting Octagon gold back in 2021, Sao Paulo striking sensation, Alex Pereira turned in a come-from-behind win over arch-rival, Israel Adesanya at Madison Square Garden fighting through adversity to prevent the bout seeing a judge’s scorecard, with a late fifth round TKO win over the City Kickboxing staple. 

Alex Pereira tipped to struggle with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 he has more weapons to win Jiri Prochazka
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

Casting his line in light heavyweight waters soon after his thunderous second round KO loss to the Nigerian-Kiwi last April, Pereira bested another former Octagon gold holder in the form of Jan Blachowicz in a narrow decision win last July at UFC 291 – setting up his title charge against Prochazka. 

Despite suffering a catastophic ankle injury during a pick-up basketball game with UFC alums and fellow fighters last summer ahead of UFC 290 during International Fight Week, the above-mentioned Hill will still enter his fight with Pereira in the midst of an eye-catching four fight winning run.

With his sole loss in that timeframe coming in the form of a nasty armbar submission loss to Paul Craig, Hill has since enjoyed wins over the likes of Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, and Thiago Santos – finishing Pereira’s compatriots with a pair of knockout wins. 

And despite headlining the promotion’s monumentla UFC 300 card next month, Hill couldn’t help but reveal the showdown against Pereira came in rather surprising and hasty fashion.

Jamahal Hill mocks fans after UFC 300 title fight announced you had unreal expectations
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

“I found out for sure, for sure that it was locked in since I’ve been in here,” Jamahal Hill said during an interview at UFC 298. “When I got to the venue, we talked about it, and I agreed to it yesterday [Friday].”

“Look, ‘Sweet Dreams’ is not gonna lie to the people, I ain’t lie to you guys,” Jamahal Hill explained. “I told you what I knew – partially. …Everybody wants to be on [UFC] 300, but realistically, it didn’t really come on my radar, it didn’t really happen until yesterday, I’m not evern going to lie, yesterday.”

Who wins at UFC 300 next month: Alex Pereira or Jamahal Hill?

Video – The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight card on April 13

Video - The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight cardThe countdown to UFC 300 has begun! On Saturday, April 13, the Las Vegas-based promotion will present its next…

Video - The countdown to UFC 300 begins with an epic trailer hyping the historic fight card

The countdown to UFC 300 has begun!

On Saturday, April 13, the Las Vegas-based promotion will present its next big landmark event, UFC 300, live from the familiar confines of T-Mobile Arena in Sin City. To get fans hyped for one of the biggest fight cards in MMA history, Ultimate Fighting Championship has released an epic trailer featuring the card’s biggest names.

In the main event of the evening, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira will put his gold on the line against former titleholder Jamahal Hill. It will be Hill’s first time competing since he won the belt with a dominant performance against Glover Teixeira in January 2023. ‘Sweet Dreams’ was forced to vacate the title after sustaining an Achilles injury last summer, never having the opportunity to defend his crown.

That ultimately led to a clash between Pereira and former champion Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 to crown a new king of the division. ‘Poatan’ came out on top, scoring yet another highlight-reel knockout in the second round of their co-main event.

UFC 300

Strawweight champion Zhang Weili returns in the uFC 300 co-Main Event

In the UFC 300 co-headliner, strawweight world champion Zhang Weili puts it all on the line against Yan Xiaonan in a battle between two of China’s finest imports. Reclaiming the title with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza, at UFC 292, Zhang is fresh off an absolutely dominant performance against Amanda Lemos in her last outing.

She’ll look to deliver a similar result against Yan, a 17-3 fighter with noteworthy wins against Mackenzie Dern and Jessica Andrade in her last two outings.

UFC 300

And what is being touted as the people’s main event, BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje puts his bragging rights belt on the line against former featherweight champion Max Holloway in a battle between two of the greatest strikers in all of mixed martial arts.

Check out the full UFC 300 card below:

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)

  • Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
  • Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan
  • Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway
  • Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
  • Charles Oliveira vs. Armen Tsarukyan

Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)

  • Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic
  • Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
  • Sodiq Yusuff vs. Diego Lopes
  • Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
UFC 300

Alex Pereira tipped to struggle with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300: ‘There’s more weapons on his side’

Alex Pereira tipped to struggle with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 he has more weapons to win Jiri ProchazkaAhead of his return atop UFC 300 next month, light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira has been tipped to potentially…

Alex Pereira tipped to struggle with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 he has more weapons to win Jiri Prochazka

Ahead of his return atop UFC 300 next month, light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira has been tipped to potentially struggle with underdog, Jamahal Hill – with former champion and most recent foe, Jiri Prochazka claiming the latter has more weapons than the Brazilian to score a win.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and current undisputed light heavyweight gold holder, is slated to headline UFC 300 next month atop a massive monumental card in Las Vegas, attempting to defend his 205 pound title against ex-champion, Hill.

UFC 300 bout order
Mandatory Credit: Marcel Dorff

Returning for the first time since November, Sao Paulo native, Pereira most recently headlined UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden, landing the vacant crown with a stunning second round KO win over the above-mentioned, Prochazka. 

Alex Pereira betting favorite to hold title at the end of next year
Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

As for Hill, the Contender Series product has yet to feature since he minted himself as the champion back in Brazil of last year against Pereira’s close friend and training partner, Glover Teixeira in a vacant title affair.

Alex Pereira tipped to struggle with Jamahal Hill at UFC 300

And returning in a high-profile main event fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 300 next month, Hill has been backed to pose a significant threat to the former’s title run, with Prochazka claiming he has more weapons than the Brazilian in a stylistic showcase.

“The truth is there is more weapons on the Jamahal Hill side,” Jiri Prochazka told Sportskeeda during a recent interview. “But, we’ll see – let the better [fighter] win.” 

Initially opening as a distinct betting favorite to beat Illinois native, Hill, Pereira’s talents were severely doubted by the former – who claimed that fans who are fawning over the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Famer’s attributes, should actually be switching their interest to him

Jamahal Hill mocks fans after UFC 300 title fight announced you had unreal expectations
Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

Booking his second straight championship fight, Pereira – who has twice faced off with Israel Adesanya inside the Octagon since his move to the promotion three years ago, claimed a third rubber match between the duo may be unlikely, before offering to train with the City Kickboxing staple instead

Who wins at UFC 300 next month: Alex Pereira or Jamahal Hill?

Video – Adin Ross takes a body shot from UFC star Alex Pereira, immediately regrets his decision

Alex Pereira punches Adin RossPopular Kick streamer Adin Ross really wanted to know what it felt like to get punched in the body…

Alex Pereira punches Adin Ross

Popular Kick streamer Adin Ross really wanted to know what it felt like to get punched in the body by a UFC champion. Light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira was happy to assist.

As if that weren’t a bad enough decision, Ross decided to do one better by taking a leg kick from the two-division GLORY Kickboxing world champion.

Clearly, ‘Poatan’ was only giving Ross a small taste of the power he possesses, but even that was enough to send the influencer limping around the ring and writhing in pain.

Alex Pereira tackles Adin Ross before he headlines UFC 300

Alex Pereira is one of the heaviest hitters in all of MMA, as evidenced by his highlight-reel knockouts of former world champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. After just seven fights inside the Octagon, Pereira has already won the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, the latter coming via a vicious second-round KO against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November.

On Saturday, April 13, Pereira will return to the Octagon to headline the promotion’s next landmark event, UFC 300, against former 205-pound titleholder Jamahal Hill.

‘Sweet Dreams’ was forced to relinquish the title in July after sustaining an Achilles injury during a charity basketball game. Hill is 12-1 in his mixed martial arts career, his lone loss coming against Paul Craig after sustaining an arm injury in the opening round. He bounced back with four straight victories, including a title-winning performance against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 last year.

Does Alex Pereira remain champion after UFC 300 next month?

Video – Adin Ross takes a body shot from UFC star Alex Pereira, immediately regrets his decision

Alex Pereira punches Adin RossPopular Kick streamer Adin Ross really wanted to know what it felt like to get punched in the body…

Alex Pereira punches Adin Ross

Popular Kick streamer Adin Ross really wanted to know what it felt like to get punched in the body by a UFC champion. Light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira was happy to assist.

As if that weren’t a bad enough decision, Ross decided to do one better by taking a leg kick from the two-division GLORY Kickboxing world champion.

Clearly, ‘Poatan’ was only giving Ross a small taste of the power he possesses, but even that was enough to send the influencer limping around the ring and writhing in pain.

Alex Pereira tackles Adin Ross before he headlines UFC 300

Alex Pereira is one of the heaviest hitters in all of MMA, as evidenced by his highlight-reel knockouts of former world champions Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya. After just seven fights inside the Octagon, Pereira has already won the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, the latter coming via a vicious second-round KO against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November.

On Saturday, April 13, Pereira will return to the Octagon to headline the promotion’s next landmark event, UFC 300, against former 205-pound titleholder Jamahal Hill.

‘Sweet Dreams’ was forced to relinquish the title in July after sustaining an Achilles injury during a charity basketball game. Hill is 12-1 in his mixed martial arts career, his lone loss coming against Paul Craig after sustaining an arm injury in the opening round. He bounced back with four straight victories, including a title-winning performance against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 last year.

Does Alex Pereira remain champion after UFC 300 next month?