Dricus du Plessis has a pleasant warning for Alex Pereira if he’s seriously considering a return to his previous stomping grounds at middleweight.
Simply moments after du Plessis tapped out Israel Adesanya with a rear-naked choke within the fourth spherical of the UFC 305 essential occasion, Pereira took to social media to share a photograph of himself in entrance of the post-fight celebration. The caption on Pereira’s publish? “Coming right down to 185 yet another time,” joined by a famously stoic look on the sunshine heavyweight champ’s face. After all, Pereira is a former UFC middleweight champion who in the end determined to maneuver as much as 205 kilos after falling to Adesanya of their rematch in 2023.
Since that point, Pereira has gone undefeated, together with wins in three title fights together with his fourth arising at UFC 307 when he faces Khalil Rountree Jr. in the primary occasion.
If the Brazilian is critically contemplating a return to middleweight, du Plessis welcomes the problem, though he’s fairly sure that Pereira wouldn’t just like the end result.
“I truthfully don’t assume Alex Pereira ought to drop right down to 185,” du Plessis stated on the UFC 305 post-fight press convention. “If he needs to, nice, excellent. However then we’re going to listen to the reasons. I noticed Izzy stiff that man within the first spherical. I felt Izzy’s punching energy tonight. Izzy has nice timing, he’s quick, he’s lengthy and he has nice mixtures, however I felt the facility.
“If Izzy stiffens you want that, you do not need to be in there with me, particularly not once you’ve received to return in there with the reasons, ‘Oh, I reduce an excessive amount of weight.’ That’s going to occur. All people’s going to say it.”
Quite than going through a doubtlessly depleted “Poatan” due to a tough weight reduce, du Plessis prefers caring for his subsequent title protection after which packing on just a few extra kilos to problem for the sunshine heavyweight title as an alternative.
“Keep at 205, combat your combat towards the No. 8 ranked man,” du Plessis stated referencing Pereira’s combat towards Rountree. “Combat your combat there and revel in it. If Strickland is the subsequent combat, the individuals need to see that combat — if that’s the combat that folks need to see and that’s the combat proper now individuals assume is the subsequent finest man, then it’s the combat that I would like. So let me deal with my enterprise, you deal with your small business.
“You don’t have to chop the burden so you will have some type of excuse. I’ll come up after the Strickland combat. I’ll come as much as 205 and we’ll type it on the market.”
To be clear, du Plessis isn’t in search of out a lightweight heavyweight title shot and he’s not attempting to turn out to be the most recent fighter hoping so as to add “champ-champ’ to his résumé.
The truth is, the South African fighter prefers vanquishing each attainable contender in his present weight class reasonably than simply leaping as much as 205 kilos for a combat that doesn’t actually make a lot sense to him proper now.
That stated, du Plessis has no downside taking up that problem if that’s what UFC throws at him.
“If that’s what the UFC needs, I’ll be prepared for it proper now,” du Plessis stated. “However I’m not chasing that. I consider to be thought of the best to ever do that sport, I have to be thought of as the best middleweight first.
“I’m the primary man to beat Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. I’ve overwhelmed three of the highest 20 pound-for-pound fighters, so can I please get again within the prime 10? I beat Strickland, I beat Whittaker, and I beat Adesanya. I haven’t been on social media. I can’t wait to see what the critics say now.”
