"Fight IQ on 100" - Fans praise Tom Aspinall for "honest" response on chances of winning a stand-up fight against Alex Pereira

With Alex Pereira's recent success in the light heavyweight division, many fans have clamored for 'Poatan' to move up another weight class and challenge for the UFC heavyweight title. No fighter has ever won a title in three separate UFC weight classes but with the way Pereira has sped through two divisions, the masses are eager to see him attempt further greatness.

Pereira has briefly gained the attention of UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones but more fans are interested in a fantasy matchup with interim titleholder Tom Aspinall. The chatter caused the 31-year-old to be asked about the hypothetical fight, setting up the Brit to deliver a comedically strategic answer on how he would approach Pereira.

On being asked by a journalist, Aspinall said that he would immediately look to take the Brazilian down as soon as possible, claiming he would shoot a takedown within the first 10 seconds.

Fans found the humor in the response from Aspinall, who has won most of his fights by knockout but is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with elite grappling skills. Conversely, Pereira — a former GLORY Kickboxing world champion — has never won a fight by submission. Since debuting with the UFC in 2021, Pereira has landed six knockdowns in nine fights.

One fan resonated with most reactions, commenting:

"Fight IQ on 100"

Other fans commented:

"At least he knows he'd get sparked"

"Nobody wanna mess with the left hook"

"Anyone standing with Pereira is at risk every moment of the fight"

View more fan reactions to Tom Aspinall's response to fighting Alex Pereira:

Fans react to Tom Aspinall comedically giving his thoughts on a hypothetical fight with Alex Pereira. [via @espnmma on X]

---

Is a Tom Aspinall vs. Alex Pereira fight realistic?

As of July 20, Tom Aspinall is preparing to fight Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event of UFC 304 on July 27. Since winning the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295, Aspinall has pushed for a unification bout with Jon Jones but has not seen the fight come anywhere close to reality with Jones still injured and dead-set on a fight with Stipe Miocic.

Though frustrated, Aspinall has accepted his role in the division and says he will fight anyone in pursuit of undisputed gold, including Alex Pereira.

Pereira, however, has said he is not very interested in a fight with Aspinall and is more inclined to defend his light heavyweight title before pursuing a matchup with Jones.