Alex Pereira thinks Dricus Du Plessis is scared.
Moments after ‘Stillknocks’ secured a fourth-round submission victory over Israel Adesanya in Perth, Pereira suggested that a move back down to 185 could be in his future.
Alex Pereira reacts to Dricus du Plessis’ win at #UFC305
“Coming down to 185 one more time.” 👀#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/0TGVOtYyI9
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 18, 2024
However, Du Plessis quickly poured cold water on the idea and instead suggested that he move up to 205 and challenge Pereira for his light heavyweight title.
Responding to Du Plessis’ comments on his YouTube channel, Pereira suggested that ‘DDP’ may be a bit scared of putting his belt on the line against one of the UFC’s most prolific knockout artists.
“Dricus talked about my weight,” Pereira said through a translator. “After I talked about going down one more time, the first thing Dricus said was that it was a problem. The last one [against Adesanya] was a warning for me, that I had to go up in weight.
“But if you guys remember, when I went up in weight, I said I could do this again. But I need some time to recover. I think if I go down one more time I’ll do well. Explaining what Du Plessis said, it seems like he’s a bit scared.”
Alex Pereira Accuses Magomed Ankalaev of Refusing to Fight Him
Nobody expected UFC CEO Dana White to announce that Alex Pereira’s next light heavyweight title defense would come against No. 8 ranked contender Khalil Rountree. Everyone, including Pereira himself, believed his next opponent would be Magomed Ankalaev, who has more than earned the opportunity with 10-straight wins.
According to Pereira, he was 100% on board to fight the streaking Dagestani standout and accused Ankalaev of being the one who refused to fight him in Salt Lake City.
“A lot of people ask me, I always wanted to fight against Ankalaev,” Pereira said. “I threw that to the organization, left it very clear, but Ankalaev didn’t want to fight against me. I don’t know the reason, if it was the location if he just didn’t want. He isn’t the champion, he can’t pick anything.
“I think it’s the opportunity that shows up, he didn’t want it. He has his reasoning, I don’t know what it is. I came to tell you guys, I’m not scared of anyone, everyone knows my history and everything I’ve done and who I went against, not just in MMA but kickboxing.”
Ankalaev quickly disputed Pereira’s comments.
“This is the biggest lie this not man style,” Ankalaev wrote on X.
This is the biggest lie this not man style
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) August 25, 2024
Instead of a title fight, Ankalaev will square off with Aleksandar Rakić later that same month when the promotion makes its annual pit spot in Abu Dhabi for UFC 308.
Watch the full video via Pereira’s YouTube channel below:
