Aspinall eyes revenge against Gane or historic showdown with Pereira after UFC White House

Tom Aspinall is watching the interim heavyweight title fight at UFC White House on June 14 with personal stakes on both sides, admitting he craves revenge against Ciryl Gane while recognising that a clash with Alex Pereira would carry historic weight. Aspinall has been sidelined since his October title defence against Gane ended in a no-contest after Gane landed an accidental eye poke, and the interim belt now at stake between the two men was created specifically because of his absence.

“I want revenge, of course,” Aspinall told Fight Your Corner. “But also, there’s an argument to say that me and Pereira would be a bigger fight. I don’t know, they’re both big fights aren’t they? Pereira’s got a massive fanbase, massive, like globally.”

Pereira arrives at heavyweight having already claimed UFC titles at middleweight and light heavyweight. A win over Gane would make him the first fighter in UFC history to hold championships across three divisions — a milestone Aspinall acknowledged with genuine admiration.

“First of all, he’s an absolute generational talent, Alex Pereira,” Aspinall said. “If he wins this fight, even if it’s an interim title, it’ll be the first person ever to win three different weights, which is unbelievable.”

Despite that respect, Aspinall raised pointed questions about how Pereira’s power will translate at the UFC’s heaviest weight class. The champion noted that much of Pereira’s knockout record has come against smaller opponents with comparatively less punch resistance, and that Gane — who survived five rounds with Francis Ngannou — presents a very different proposition.

“He carries a lot of power at light heavy and middle, but he’s also fighting a lot smaller guys whose punch resistance is a lot less,” Aspinall said. “A guy like Ciryl Gane who’s used to taking punches off big, big heavyweights — he didn’t get hurt off Francis Ngannou for five rounds, which is one of the biggest punchers in the division. I don’t know if his punch resistance will be as good at heavyweight.”

Aspinall also identified Gane’s movement as a potential stylistic problem for Pereira, whose best performances have often come against opponents who stand and trade rather than circulate and control distance.

“Alex Pereira is very good when he fights light heavyweights or middleweights who don’t move a lot,” Aspinall said. “Ciryl Gane is a massive heavyweight who moves a lot — really fluid on his feet, in and out, judges the distance really well. So stylistically, I think it’s a good matchup for Gane.”

Whichever man wins on June 14, Aspinall will be the next opponent in a title unification bout, setting up one of the most anticipated heavyweight title fights the UFC has staged in years.