Dana White doesn’t think that interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall should be in the GOAT conversation yet. Aspinall defeated Curtis Blaydes on UFC 304 with a fantastic first-round knockout. On being asked by reporters if he agreed that the Englishman would be the greatest of all time, White wasn’t convinced.

The UFC CEO felt that while the interim champ had all the tangibles and intangibles to be the GOAT, he felt there was a lot of catching up he needed to do to Jon Jones before being in the conversations. White, of course, considers Jones the MMA GOAT.

“So, yes this guy is [capable of being the GOAT]. To put that on him right now? He obviously has the ability to dominate the heavyweight division… There’s no doubt the guy’s got the talent. But when you start talking about he could be the greatest of all time, you know how I feel about Jon Jones,” he said.

You got some big shoes to fill, you got a lot of people to wreck even before you start talking about even being within Jon Jones universe… He is special, he is absolutely, positively special. We obviously expect big things from him,” White added.

It is important to note that White did not claim that Aspinall cannot be the GOAT, just that he needs to do much more to prove himself, as Jones has done by dominating the 205-pound division for over a decade. But Alex Pereira, who is the reigning 205-pound champion, does not figure in White’s plans yet, despite both Jones and Aspinall having expressed interest in fighting ‘Poatan’ at 270.

Dana White doesn’t see Alex Pereira facing Tom Aspinall or Jon Jones soon

In addition, on being asked about the prospect of light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira moving up and fighting Aspinall, White clearly didn’t think it was a good idea. The UFC CEO told reporters that since the Englishman will fight the winner of the upcoming Miocic-Jones fight, he didn’t see where ‘Poatan’ fit into the picture.

“So you think he should move up and he should fight Tom Aspinall?… Well you got Jones fighting Stipe, whoever wins that fights Tom Aspinall. Where does he (Pereira) fit into this right now?” he asked at the press conference.

Pereira, of course, is a two-division champion and has made it clear he wants to move up to the UFC’s heaviest division to fight for the title and become the promotion’s first three-division champion. However, Dana White has repeatedly shot down the idea, preferring the Brazilian clear out the 205-pound division first. And his latest comments on the subject indicate that he hasn’t really moved on the topic.

What are your thoughts on Dana White’s comments?