Tom Aspinall was set for Alex Pereira at UFC White House

Tom Aspinall was scheduled to fight Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 before an injury forced the British heavyweight champion out of the White House card, UFC president Dana White confirmed this week.

White made the revelation in a video posted to social media, per Sherdog, answering speculation about what would have topped the historic event had Aspinall been cleared to compete. Pereira instead faces Ciryl Gane for an interim heavyweight title Sunday in Washington.

Why Aspinall-Pereira fell apart

Aspinall, the unified heavyweight champion after his January win over Jon Jones, has not fought since that victory at UFC 323. The nature of his injury has not been disclosed publicly, though the promotion moved quickly to book Pereira against Gane once it became clear the Englishman could not make the date.

Pereira has campaigned for a heavyweight title shot since defending his light heavyweight belt in back-to-back fights earlier this year. A win over Gane would set up the Brazilian for a unification bout with Aspinall, likely in the second half of 2025.

Aspinall has expressed interest in facing Pereira at heavyweight if both men clear their next hurdles. The two have traded callouts on social media in recent months, with Aspinall saying he believes the former two-division champion presents a more dangerous puzzle than Jones did.

UFC Freedom 250 airs live Sunday from the White House South Lawn, with Ilia Topuria defending his featherweight title against Justin Gaethje in the co-main event.

Source: sherdog.com