Pereira vows to skip Aspinall unification if he claims third-division UFC title at Freedom 250

Alex Pereira will pursue an immediate title defence rather than wait for Tom Aspinall if he defeats Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight championship at Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House south lawn in Washington, D.C. Victory would make the 38-year-old Brazilian the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three separate weight classes.

Pereira (13-3) meets Gane (13-2) in the co-main event of a card headlined by the lightweight unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The interim heavyweight belt is on the line because undisputed champion Aspinall has been sidelined since his title defence against Gane ended in a no contest following an inadvertent eye poke — an injury that has since required surgery and may require further medical intervention.

Speaking ahead of the fight, Pereira made clear he has little appetite for a prolonged wait. “I don’t think that Tom is going to be ready. I don’t think he’s even training. I think it’s about recovering from the surgery,” he said. “I’m a guy that, I want to get ready, I want to fight somebody as soon as possible. I want another fight as soon as possible. Again, I’m 38 years old, I ain’t got time to lose.”

The scenario of an interim champion defending rather than unifying is unusual but not without precedent in the UFC heavyweight division. Aspinall himself defended his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes when the promotion could not reach terms with Jon Jones, before being elevated to undisputed champion after Jones retired last year.

Pereira, who turns 39 in July, has already held the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titles. A third belt would cement his place among the most decorated fighters in the promotion’s history and add fresh urgency to a heavyweight division already unsettled by Aspinall’s uncertain timeline.