UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira recently expressed interest in a potential fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Pereira aims to once again hold the middleweight championship. To spice up the rivalry, Pereira made a bold claim. ‘Poatan’ believes the most challenging part of such a fight would not be facing Du Plessis. Here is what happened:
Alex Pereira recently spoke with Full Send MMA at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue for UFC 306. ‘Poatan’ had already expressed strong interest in dropping back down to middleweight to face Dricus Du Plessis. During the interview, Pereira made it clear that something poses a bigger threat than facing Dricus Du Plessis. His comments may have come off as supremely confident.
Dricus is definitely an easier fight than fighting Jon Jones. I think making weight will be harder than… I showed interest many times, but he never replies… He shows that he’s scared… clown.
Alex Pereira via Full Send MMA
Pereira has previously fought in the middleweight division. He is well aware of the physical strain involved in making that weight cut. It becomes difficult, especially after moving up to the 205-pound division. After back-to-back headliner events this year, Pereira took a little break and believed he was well-rested enough to make the cut again.
Alex Pereira calls Dricus du Plessis a clown and says he’s scared to fight him 😳
“Dricus is definitely an easier fight than fighting Jon Jones. I think making weight will be harder than [fighting Dricus]… I showed interest many times but he never replies…
He shows that… pic.twitter.com/SyP64818rA
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 15, 2024
The Brazilian has gone so far as to label Du Plessis a “clown” for not taking the potential fight seriously, accusing him of ducking the challenge. In his view, Du Plessis’ reluctance to engage in serious talks about the matchup signifies fear.
He quickly criticized the South African star for making light of the situation by joking around when asked about the super fight. Despite Pereira’s accusations, Du Plessis has not been silent in response. The South African champion fired back soon enough.
Dricus Du Plessis calls out Alex Pereira for ‘taking things too far’
Dricus Du Plessis fired back, asserting he was not afraid of Pereira. The South African champion is willing to fight either Pereira or former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Du Plessis dismissed the notion that he was avoiding the fight. Furthermore, he even challenged Pereira’s insinuation, calling the Brazilian champion out on social media for taking things too far.
Dricus Du Plessis calls out Alex Pereira (Image via Imago)As things stand, Pereira is open to moving back down to middleweight for the right fight. However, he is also looking ahead to his next light heavyweight title defense.
After beating Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka this year, ‘Poatan’ is ready to headline yet another UFC event. This time, he is taking on Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307.
a scared clown how dare you! Now that’s taking it to far. I’ve already said I’m in to fight either you or @SStricklandMMA what more do you want or should I tag your translator?
— Dricus Du Plessis (@dricusduplessis) September 16, 2024
If the fight with Du Plessis does not materialize, Pereira has indicated that he is more than willing to pursue other high-profile matchups. As such, there are a few potential showdowns that excite the fans. These include a super fight with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones or interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
