Dricus Du Plessis recently defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. After this, current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira hinted at returning to the middleweight division where he previously held the championship title. However, the South African champion had a message for his predecessor. Here is what happened:
After his victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Dricus Du Plessis sat down for the questions at the post-fight press conference. There he responded to Alex Pereiraโs callout regarding a potential return to the middleweight division.
I felt Izzyโs punching power tonight. You know, Izzy has great timing. Heโs fast, heโs long, and he has great combinations, but I felt the power. If Izzy stiffens you like that, you do not want to be in there with me.
Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 post fight press conference
In their UFC 287 matchup, Adesanya secured a spectacular knockout in the second round to reclaim the middleweight title. This victory was a redemption for Adesanya, as it marked his first win over Pereira in their four combat sports matchups (two in kickboxing and two in MMA).
Dricus Du Plessisโ coach wants to take on Alex Pereira at light-heavyweight
Alex Pereira is currently the light heavyweight champion. He recently announced his intention to drop back to 185 lbs although he has a fight coming up at UFC 307 against Khalil Rountree Jr. He aims to challenge reigning champion Du Plessis for the middleweight title.
If successful, this matchup could happen in early 2025. However, as per recent statements team Du Plessis is not interested in fighting Alex Pereira at middleweight. The South Africanโs coach, Morne Visser recently did an interview on Submission Radio where he gave his statement on this.
No โ I wonโt give him the joy to go down to 185. Weโll just go upโฆ He doesnโt want to beat him heโll say that weโve gone down, he was fatigued and whatever so no, weโll go up.
Visser said he was sure that the UFC would be okay with it. He knew โStillknocksโ was game, so his plan was not to wait for โPoatanโ to come down. Instead, he plans to potentially take on the Brazilian in December if the UFC allowed it. Pereira has already fought twice this year so it will be interesting to see when this highly anticipated showdown takes place.
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