Dricus du Plessis went five rounds with Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year but doesn’t believe his former opponent would stand a chance against Alex Pereira. Despite seeing Chimaev dominate inside the cage, du Plessis feels the middleweight king would be outmatched if he moved up to face the Brazilian powerhouse.
Chimaev’s interest in a fight at 205 pounds began after Pereira’s quick finish of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. That victory reignited talk of Pereira’s move toward heavyweight and sparked speculation about potential superfights — but du Plessis isn’t convinced such a matchup would go well for Chimaev.
“I mean, he’s always had crazy callouts. Khamzat, there’s no way he beats Pereira, in my opinion,” du Plessis told Fight Forecast.
Du Plessis Doubts the Hype Around Pereira vs. Chimaev
After losing his middleweight belt to Chimaev at UFC 319, du Plessis has a close understanding of what “Borz” brings to the table. But even after experiencing that pressure, he insists Pereira is simply too big and too experienced.
“I think Pereira, right now, is one of the greatest to ever do this sport, or any combat sport for that matter,” du Plessis said. “Yeah, he’s a big guy. Even right now at light heavyweight, he looked so big against Ankalaev, it was crazy. So, yeah, I think that’s all hype. I don’t think there’s any realistic chance of that ever happening.” via MMAFighting
Pereira’s plans to move toward heavyweight and a possible clash with Jon Jones further separate him from Chimaev’s level of competition, according to du Plessis.
He’s not alone in that opinion. UFC icons Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen have echoed similar thoughts, suggesting Pereira’s size and composure would make the fight nearly impossible for Chimaev to control.
“Size has to matter at some point. It might not matter from 170lbs to 185lbs, but it’s got to matter when you start jumping 20lbs,” Cormier said during Good Guy/Bad Guy.
While fans continue to fantasize about a Pereira vs. Chimaev showdown, du Plessis is certain of one thing — the matchup is all talk for now, and if it ever happens, the outcome won’t be close.
