Alex Pereira reveals Tom Aspinall plans ahead of UFC White House clash

Alex Pereira is in no mood to wait around for Tom Aspinall if he emerges victorious this weekend.

The Brazilian has an opportunity to make history on Sunday night when he takes on Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title as part of the UFC's event on the South Lawn of the White House.

Victory would see him become the first fighter in promotional history to hold titles in three different weight classes and further cement his status as one of the biggest stars in the sport today.

A win at the UFC Freedom 250 event would also seemingly set up a showdown with current heavyweight king Tom Aspinall for the undisputed title, though exactly when Aspinall will be able to return to competition remains unclear.

The 33-year-old has undergone multiple eye surgeries after being inadvertently poked by Gane when they met for the belt in October, and is still yet to receive clearance to resume full-contact training nearly eight months later.

Asked about a potential showdown with Aspinall, Pereira insisted he does not have time to wait for a champion vs champion superfight to materialise.

"I was talking about this, people ask me in interviews and the answer that I gave is I don't think that Tom is going to be ready." Pereira told TNT Sports via a translator.

"I don't think he's even training. [He is] recovering from surgery and then training, I don't think so.

"I'm a guy that wants to get ready and fight a guy as soon as possible. I want to get another fight as soon as possible.

"I'm 38 years old, I ain't got time to lose so I need to fight."

Earlier this week Dana White confirmed that the initial plan for the White House event was a clash between Aspinall and Pereira before injury ruled the former out of contention.

In addition to Pereira's fight with Gane the UFC's White House event will also feature a lightweight unification bout between Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.

Former Bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley is set to take on Aiemann Zahabi, Mauricio Ruffy will take on Michael Chandler while fan favourite Derrick Lewis - reportedly at the personal behest of US President Donald Trump - will also feature on the card as he takes on rising heavyweight contender Josh Hokit.