Verbal sparring is something that does not come naturally to Alex Pereria. The man, known for his stoic demeanor, allows his deadly striking to make his point clear. However, when the current middleweight champion took a jab at him, ‘Poatan’ couldn’t help but respond.
Dricus Du Plessis, fresh off a successful title defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, seemingly dismissed Pereira’s threat to return to the middleweight division. ‘Poatan,’ not one to let such comments slide, took to his official YouTube channel to address Du Plessis directly.
“It’s another guy [Dricus Du Plessis] who wants to fight against me, he said, ‘Yeah, come, I’m waiting for you’. But no, he tried to make me scared, but he was the one who is scared,” said Pereira in a video on his YouTube channel.
The tension between these two has been simmering for some time. Du Plessis’ recent comments about Pereira’s weight-cutting struggles and suggestion that he might be better off staying at light heavyweight seemed to hit a nerve, thus prompting this response.
The Brazilian’s desire to return to middleweight has sparked a debate about whether he can successfully make the cut after moving up to 205 pounds. Fight fans would know that Alex Pereira made his UFC debut in the middleweight division and went on to win the title as well. It would be no surprise if he decided to do one more fight at 185lbs.
Alex Pereira Eyes Middleweight Fight Against Dricus Du Plessis After UFC 305
Pereira, one of the most feared strikers in the sport, isn’t done with the 185-pound division just yet. Despite having moved up to light heavyweight, he recently made it clear that he’s eyeing one more fight in the middleweight division. This comes on the heels of Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya at UFC 305.
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The timing of Alex Pereira’s announcement couldn’t have been more intriguing. Du Plessis was still basking in the glow of his victory when ‘Poatan’ hinted at a potential return to 185 pounds. This announcement to drop back down in weight immediately stirred up excitement among fans.
However, Du Plessis didn’t waste any time in addressing the situation. At the UFC 305 post-fight press conference, he questioned whether Alex Pereira could handle the weight cut back to 185 pounds, suggesting that ‘Poatan’ should stay at light heavyweight. He even offered to move up to 205 pounds after dealing with Sean Strickland, making it clear that he’s not backing down from a potential showdown with the 205lb champion.
Also Read: Alex Pereira Reveals Real Reason Why He Is Fighting Khalil Rountree Instead Of Magomed Ankalaev
