“More exciting than Jones vs. Stipe” – After Alex Pereira’s cryptic callout, Tom Aspinall has fans riled up with social media post

Tom Aspinall responds positively to Alex Pereira's cryptic callout at UFC 300.

“More exciting than Jones vs. Stipe” – After Alex Pereira’s cryptic callout, Tom Aspinall has fans riled up with social media post

Tom Aspinall angles for a fight with Alex Pereira (Image via: IMAGO, Instagram)

Alex Pereria took the MMA community by storm when he dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. Four fights after the come-from-behind victory, Pereira is a two-division champion. He even headlined the coveted UFC 300 PPV against Jamahal Hill. After victory at UFC 300, he has set his sights on becoming a three-division champion.

Fans and fighters expected Jamahal Hill to be the toughest test for Pereira at light heavyweight. It turns out that it was the easiest one for the Brazilian. Pereira’s signature left hook got the job done as he secured a first-round finish. Post the victory, Pereira said the unthinkable in his octagon interview with Joe Rogan.

I want to keep defending this [light heavyweight] belt. I talked a lot about fighting in Brazil [At UFC 301]. If I won this fight [Against Jamahal Hill], I won this fight. I'm not hurt, nothing happened, you know? I know there needs to be a lot of promotion behind a fight, but you know, I want to have a fight at heavyweight.
Alex Pereira at the UFC 300 Octagon Interview with Joe Rogan
YouTube video

Pereira had earlier flirted with the idea of going up to face interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. The British fighter had also expressed interest in the fight. However, no official confirmation came from the UFC. Pereira’s recent callout did not explicitly mention Aspinall, but anyone could’ve guessed who the callout referred to. As such, Aspinall responded to the cryptic callout with an Instagram post. The picture, possibly taken at UFC 300, showed Aspinall seemingly sizing up Pereira.

FS Video

Aspinall had earlier stated that Pereira sized him up at UFC 295. Pereira had recently broken Francis Ngannou‘s PowerKube record, which has yet to receive an official statement from the UFC. Joe Rogan spoke of it at the commentary booth and seemed very ecstatic. Nevertheless, Dana White did not seem excited by the prospect but he also did not completely rule it out.

Fight fans react to the potential Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall matchup

The UFC’s heavyweight division is in a weird situation. Jon Jones became the undisputed champion at UFC 285 and has yet to defend it. In his absence, Tom Aspinall became the interim heavyweight champion with a victory over Sergei Pavlovich. Jones injured himself weeks before his fight with Stipe Miocic, and the UFC intends to make it happen on Jones’ return.

Fans find Alex Pereira vs. Tom Aspinall to be more exciting than Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic
Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall (Source: Twitter)

In this scenario, Tom Aspinall is the odd man out, even though he is an interim champion. Nevertheless, Alex Pereira’s callout has made things interesting. Fight fans are riled up as they find Aspinall vs. Pereira more exciting than Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. See how fight fans reacted to the video below.

Alex Pereira weighed north of 230lbs on fight day. However, Tom Aspinall weighs more than 260lbs. Moreover, he is also taller than Pereira and has knockout power in addition to grappling. Aspinall is the worst stylistic matchup for Pereira in the heavyweight division. Nonetheless, Pereira does have the ultimate equalizer in his left hook.

In case you missed it!