Du Plessis vs Pereira: what did they say to each other?
The South African had a word exchange with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira after submitting Adesanya at UFC 305.
Dricus Du Plessis was probably the biggest winner at UFC 305. The South African defended his middleweight successfully in the return of one of the best mixed martial artists ever in the category, Israel Adesanya.
The 30-year-old fighter, the first South African to ever hold a UFC belt, stunned Izzy in the fourth round with a right hook before taking him down and submitting him via a rear-naked choke at the RAC Arena, in Perth, Australia.
Unbeaten in his eight UFC fights, Du Plessis proved he’s a legit fighter and champion. His win last Saturday attracted many fighters who are interested in fighting him for UFC gold. And one of them is the former middleweight and current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
What did Du Plessis and Pereira say to each other after UFC 305?
After finishing Adesanya in the main event, Du Plessis gained even more notoriety, with his fight being followed by potential opponents.
One of them is the current light heavyweight king, Alex Pereira. It didn’t take a long time for the Brazilian to react to his win and call out the Pretoria-bred talent.
“Coming down to 185 one more time”, Pereira said on his Instagram account with a picture of him with his stoic look and Du Plessis on a TV behind Poatan.
Asked about a potential fight with Pereira after his post, Du Plessis advised the South American not to go down to middleweight if he wanted to avoid defeat.
“I honestly don’t think Alex Pereira should drop down to 185″, he said.
“If he wants to, great, perfect. But then we’re going to hear the excuses. I saw Izzy stiff that man in the first round. I felt Izzy’s punching power tonight. Izzy has great timing, he’s fast, long, and has great combinations, but I felt the power”, Du Plessis added.
“(...) Stay at 205, fight your fight against the No. 8 ranked guy,” du Plessis said referencing Pereira’s fight against Rountree”, he continued.
“You don’t have to cut the weight so you have some sort of excuse. I’ll come up after the Strickland fight. I’ll come up to 205 and we’ll sort it out there”, Du Plessis said.
Although he’s open to going up in weight and trying to become a light heavyweight champion, the South African explained his priority is staying at middleweight and defending his belt a few times, although he wouldn’t mind taking on the challenge if the UFC wants it.