Tom Aspinall has no issue with the implementation of an interim UFC heavyweight title during his absence from competition.
With Aspinall still sidelines and on the mend from the eye injury sustained at UFC 321 in October, the organization has opted to book an interim title fight between Alex Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Ciryl Gane (13-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for UFC White House on June 14 in Washington.
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Although an argument can be made that Gane doesn’t deserve such an opportunity after his nasty eye pokes on Aspinall led to a no contest and a lengthy recover, the Brit understands the realities of the situation and knows UFC likely couldn’t finalize a better option.
“I mean, who else is going to fight? The division’s on its ass,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “There’s not many big fights to make, is there? So they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.”
The upside for Aspinall, however, is that the new booking gives him a sense of what the future could look like.
Aspinall fully expects to unify titles with the Pereira vs. Gane winner, and he’s hoping his recovery will perfectly set up the timelines for that to happen.
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“Obviously, I want to fight the winer of that,” Aspinall said. “Just waiting now to get the green light, the all clear from the doctor to start training properly again. As soon as we can start training properly again, full contact in the gym, we will be getting a fight date booked to fight the winner. Just waiting for the clearance to be medically cleared, and then we go.
“As soon as the doctor clears me, we’ll let the UFC know and we’ll be looking to book a fight soon as possible.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Tom Aspinall reacts to Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for interim UFC belt
