Tom Aspinall has ‘awkward’ run-in with Alex Pereira at airport following cryptic UFC 300 call out
Tom Aspinall has shared footage of his “awkward” encounter with Alex Pereira after UFC 300.
The interim heavyweight champion sat front row as Pereira defended his 205-pound belt by quickly knocking out Jamahal Hill in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
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During his post-fight speech, “Poatan” asked to make his heavyweight debut at UFC 301, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4.
Aspinall seemingly introduced himself as a potential opponent by sharing a photo of himself staring menacingly at Pereira as he made his way to the Octagon at UFC 300.
Pereira reacted to Aspinall’s message during his post-fight press conference.
He said: “I don’t know, man, only he can answer that.
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“I’m not going to name any names here, I said I want to fight at heavyweight so why should I choose (the opponent).”
A few hours later, Aspinall ran into Pereira as they were both walking home.
The Englishman shared footage of Pereira entering the same airport check-in queue as him, with the caption: “Embarrassing.”
After a few seconds, the camera stops and it’s not yet clear whether the potential rivals had a conversation before boarding their respective flights.
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Although fighters and fans want to see Aspinall vs. Pereira in a few weeks, UFC CEO Dana White isn’t too keen on the idea.
“When you think about his time at heavyweight, you have (Jon) Jones, you have Aspinall,” he said at the UFC 300 post-fight press conference.
“The list goes on and on in this heavyweight division. The heavyweight division is nasty. I don’t know if this is the right decision for him.
“He looked really good tonight in the division he plays in, so I think he might want to stay there for a minute.”
“These are all things we will talk about over the next fifteen Tuesdays. We will find out.
It might have to wait, but Aspinall vs. Pereira seems inevitable.
For now, Aspinall is expected to play a prominent role when the UFC returns to Manchester in July, while Pereira will likely be advised to take a well-deserved rest.
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