Tom Aspinall watches Pereira, Gane set for White House interim title

Alex Pereira is set to fight Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC White House this Sunday for the interim heavyweight title, and tom aspinall is still on the shelf with an eye injury. If Pereira wins, he would become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes.

Pereira’s White House booking

Pereira said he learned about the White House fight the same way everyone else did, after the matchup was announced publicly during the UFC 326 broadcast in March. He also said he renegotiated his contract for eight fights before the White House booking and had already made clear he wanted to fight there.

“I found out the same way that everybody else found out.”

That makes the booking unusual even by UFC standards. Pereira was not only moving into another title fight; he was doing it after the card had already become public, with the co-main event now locked as Pereira against Gane and the main event set as Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje.

Aspinall’s eye injury

The fight lands while Aspinall remains sidelined after the eye injury he suffered in his heavyweight title defense against Gane at UFC 321 in October. That bout was ruled a no-contest after Aspinall was poked in the eyes and could not continue, leaving the heavyweight belt situation unsettled enough to push the interim title back into play.

Aspinall has said he wants the winner of Pereira versus Gane. For Pereira, the reward is even bigger than the interim belt itself. UFC CEO Dana White said a win would put him ahead of Jon Jones in the GOAT conversation.

Pereira brushed off the bigger-picture debate around a potential third division title. “I think everything that I achieved has its own importance.” He also said he is open to whoever the UFC puts in front of him: “Brother, I’m an employee of the UFC.”

UFC White House stakes

That attitude leaves the co-main event with a simple shape and a sharp outcome. Pereira gets Gane for interim heavyweight gold this Sunday, with a chance to add a third championship line to his record. Aspinall, meanwhile, is left waiting on the same winner he has already targeted, with his recovery still tied to the injury from October.