Tom Aspinall was not expecting Alex Pereira to run through Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.
Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) needed just 80 seconds to avenge his light heavyweight title loss to Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Not only did Aspinall pick Ankalaev to beat Pereira again, he criticized “Poatan’s” resume in the UFC. However, while watching Pereira knock out Ankalaev, the UFC heavyweight champion admitted that he counted him out.
“What’s that? One minute, 20 (seconds) something like that? Pereira just absolutely ran through him,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “Look, I was wrong. I was wrong. That’s very, very, very impressive. Who’s next for Pereira? See what he wants to do. (Carlos) Ulberg has just won. Ulberg’s very good. I know he’s been talking about coming to heavyweight, so see what the UFC wants to do.”
Pereira clarified that his desire to go up to heavyweight next is not to fight Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who defends his title against Ciryl Gane in the UFC 321 headliner on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi.
“Heavyweight,” Pereira told the UFC on what’s next on “About Last Fight.” “No, (not Aspinall or Gane), I want a super fight. It would be at the White House against Jon Jones. That’s a super fight.”
