Pereira Tells Du Plessis – ‘I’m Coming Down To 185’
Alex Pereira says he will return to middleweight following Dricus Du Plessis’ win over Israel Adesanya.
Du Plessis secured a fourth-round submission win following a series of right hands to get Adesanya on the floor. Prior to that, it appeared Adesanya found his momentum as Du Plessis was second best. The win meant Du Plessis secured the first defense of his title, which he won against Sean Strickland.
Dana White previously confirmed that the winner would face Strickland next, suggesting that the fight will take place in South Africa. Adesanya has now lost two fights in a row, but he did confirm that he would not retire. Meanwhile, Du Plessis felt the win drew a line under his feud with Izzy and confirmed himself as an elite fighter.
“[He’s] one of the – if not the – greatest strikers ever in this division. The takedown [was key]. In this division, it’s hard to keep people down. This man is the king of getting back up. But ultimately I believe this fight was won on the feet. I came here to die for this belt, and I came here to take it back home.
“Thank you, Perth, this was the most amazing atmosphere I’ve ever fought in front of. I’m really sorry that it came across that I disrespected the fact that he’s from Africa, that was never my intention. Africa would have won either way tonight. I have the utmost respect for him, warrior to warrior,” Du Plessis
Pereira Vs. Du Plessis
Pereira also has a point to prove. His last loss was against Adesanya last year at UFC 287, as the Brazilian was knocked out. Pereira then moved up to light heavyweight and won another title to become a two-division champion. Although he could move up to heavyweight, Pereira has said he will come down to 185 to get the belt back.
“Coming down to 185 one more time,” Pereira said
Other Options
Before that happens, Pereira must overcome Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 on October 5. Alex stopped Jiri Prochazka in his last bout at UFC 303 in the second round to keep his UFC Light Heavyweight Title. The victory came after Alex took the fight on short notice. This was after Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler was called off because The Notorious suffered a broken toe.
After the win, Alex hinted he could move up to heavyweight to fight Jon Jones. White has dismissed that fight, meaning he has to face Rountree. The latter has five wins on the bounce, with four coming by stoppage. Magomed Ankalaev is another name mentioned as a title contender at light heavyweight.
He has won ten out of his previous 12 bouts, one of which was a no-contest, and the other a draw. He stopped Johnny Walker in his previous bout, and his only UFC loss came in 2018 on his debut against Paul Craig. If Alex navigates those challenges at light heavyweight, fans could see him at middleweight again.
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