Tom Aspinall praises new champ: That guy is underrated and has been through it all

The determination of 1 of today's astir celebrated fighters, Alex Pereira, to the dense class is progressively filling the beforehand pages of MMA portals. However, according to the 31-year-old champion from England, it is inactive excessively aboriginal for specified steps. The large Tom Aspinall believes the Brazilian has unfinished concern successful the airy heavyweight division, particularly erstwhile it comes to a imaginable rematch against Magomed Ankalaev.

"Pereira inactive has enactment to bash successful the airy heavyweight part arsenic helium precocious mislaid the rubric successful a beauteous pugnacious fight. I deliberation Ankalaev is inactive a precise pugnacious hostile for him. We'll spot however their adjacent combat goes," said the experienced combatant successful an interrogation with ESPN.

The absorption is connected the rematch, not connected jumping into a caller division

Aspinall did not halt there, helium praised the combatant from Dagestan who is presently astatine the apical of the "light heavyweight" category.

"Personally, I deliberation Magomed Ankalaev is underrated. This feline has been done it all. He precocious bushed a longtime champion and deserves much respect arsenic the caller champion," said the English fighter, who has an awesome streak nether his belt.

Rematch

The Briton has a wide imaginativeness of a imaginable rematch that could determine a lot:

"It's going to beryllium a pugnacious combat for Alex, but helium tin triumph it. We've seen however almighty helium is. But if we're talking astir moving up to heavyweight, I'd effort to get my airy heavyweight loop backmost archetypal if I were him."

After the status of Jon Jones, Aspinall automatically assumed the afloat heavyweight title. His adjacent combat volition astir apt beryllium against France's Cyril Gane, who is astatine the apical of the database of challengers.

As for Pereira and Ankalaev, their imaginable loop combat could instrumentality spot successful October astatine UFC 321 successful Abu Dhabi, though determination is nary authoritative confirmation yet. But it's wide that the UFC doesn't privation to miss the accidental for 1 of the biggest fights of the year.