Does Aspinall vs Pereira Make Sense to Headline UFC 300?

Alex Pereira (left) and Tom Aspinall (right) at the ceremonial weigh ins (via mmaweekly.com)

In a video posted to his official YouTube channel, UFC Interim Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall was asked if he would agree to a super fight with current Light Heavyweight champion and former Middleweight champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira.

“If he wants to, I will,” Aspinall said. “But I’m going on record to say that I’m not a bully. I don’t bully smaller guys. But if the smaller guy wants to scrap, count me in.”

With UFC 300 still looking for a high profile main event, this fight would theoretically solve the problem of who to put as the headliner. Especially since many of the UFC’s biggest superstars such as Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, and Ronda Rousey are not being considered to headline the card for several reasons ranging from injury to unpreparedness. The question that still remains: Is it worth booking these two fighters because of the weight discrepancy?

Pereira has stated before that he would be more than willing to fight at Heavyweight, and his coaches and training partners are supportive of this idea. His coach and training partner, Glover Teixeira, believes that Pereira is more than capable of making the jump to Heavyweight. In an interview done with MMA Fighting, Teixeira explained why this is the case.

"'Poatan' is a disciplined professional... that's why he managed to make 185 [lbs., UFC middleweight] in the first place. ...Few people can manage that.” Teixeira said. “If he were to move up [to heavyweight], he would change his diet and training routine outside the camp to gain mass... 'Poatan' walks around 233 lbs. and I think he can go to 246."

Although bulking up to the proposed weight of 246 is feasible, his proposed opponent will still enjoy a significant size advantage. In his most recent fight with Sergei Pavlovich, Aspinall weighed in at 261 pounds, which would be a large discrepancy in weight with a potential fight with Pereira. Additionally, Aspinall’s speed and grappling are far superior to that of Pereira, even at a larger weight.

Although this fight is far from confirmed, it would be fascinating to see what the Light Heavyweight champion would look after bulking up and fighting much larger opposition. However, it seems highly unlikely that UFC President Dana White would consider this fight for the fact that it could slow the hype train of either one of his young stars. Is this a super fight that is worthy of headlining the most hyped card of the year? Absolutely. Is it likely to happen only three months out of UFC 300? Probably not.

Jon Jones, for example, took several years to bulk up to the right size to fight at heavyweight. Although Pereira walks around at a heavier weight than Jones did when he fought at Light Heavyweight, it will take more than three months to put on the desired muscle to fight at Heavyweight. This fact alone could deter Pereira from making this fight happen. This fight is more than worthy of headlining UFC 300, but the given circumstances would make this fight highly unlikely.