UFC News: Alex Pereira Suggests Return To 185, Dricus Du Plessis ...
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) isn't buying Alex Pereira's request for a title fight in Pereira's old weight division.
Pereira has quickly established himself as the most active champion in the promotion, as his next fight will see him headline UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in October, opposite eighth-ranked Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5, 1 NC UFC). It'll be Pereira's third light heavyweight title fight of the year, essentially resurrecting 205 pounds after Jon Jones' move to heavyweight.
Du Plessis, who secured a fourth-round rear-naked-choke Saturday night (or Sunday afternoon) in Perth, Western Australia, against Israel Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), said Pereira should reconsider his next move and stick to his division.
Du Plessis pointed to the way Pereira exited the middleweight division as his main rationale for why he would not play into Pereira's request.
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"If Izzy stiffened you like that, you do not want to be in there with me," Du Plessis said.
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Meanwhile, Pereira, who was watching Du Plessis' victory closely, posted a picture to social media with a message to Du Plessis, which was translated from Portuguese.
"Coming down to 185 one more time," Pereira wrote.
If the UFC proceeded with booking Du Plessis against Pereira, assuming Pereira gets past Rountree in October, it would be a rare super-fight opportunity, something the promotion has been largely opposed to in the past. This isn't to say the idea has never happened before, with a recent example that saw Adesanya move up to challenge then-champion Jan Błachowicz at UFC 259, ultimately coming up short in a losing effort.
Regardless of what the UFC decides to do next, there are plenty of options for both men, as they are quickly establishing themselves as two of the promotion's most well-known champions.
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