Aspinall Teammate Alleges Pereira Turned Down Fight Ahead of Gane Interim Title Bout

Overview

• Phil De Fries, a teammate of Tom Aspinall, said he is fairly sure Alex Pereira was offered a bout with the heavyweight champion and declined, a claim not independently confirmed.
• Pereira is booked to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14 at the UFC’s White House card, and a win would position him to unify with Aspinall when the champion returns.
• Aspinall remains out after double eye surgery from an October eye-poke injury, and he says he is still waiting on clearance to resume full-contact sparring.
• Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who advises Aspinall, said the UFC did not invite the champion to March’s London event and that Dana White sent a same-day text instead, underscoring communication friction.
• Carlos Ulberg recently won the belt Pereira vacated when moving up in weight, a shift that adds to the title picture changes now hinging on Aspinall’s recovery and the June interim fight.