Dricus du Plessis labels Alex Pereira one of the "greatest combat sports athletes," discusses path to victory against 'Poatan'
Dricus du Plessis has voiced his respect for Alex Pereira's fighting skills. The lust for becoming a two-division champion has grown, leading to several UFC title-holders calling for the opportunity without several title defenses, including Ilia Topuria and du Plessis.
UFC middleweight champion du Plessis recently appeared in an interview with Submission Radio and discussed the possibility of moving up to light heavyweight. 'Stillknocks' had this to say about the light heavyweight champion Pereira:
"Alex Pereira, just in saying that, in my mind one of the greatest combat sports athletes to ever walk this earth. The amount of respect I have for that man as a martial artist is incredible. What he's been able to do in such a short period of time in this sport, and it's really hard. You've seen guys transition from other sports."
Du Plessis continued:
"He just fought the best guys and came in and made it look easy. He's an incredible fighter, and d*mn, he is a good fighter. He's so so good. At his age, to just keep improving and being as active, it's something to look up to, but it's the fight I want."
Pereira made his UFC debut in November 2021. Since then, the Brazilian fan favorite has solidified himself as an all-time great by becoming a two-division world champion and defeating several former UFC title-holders.
Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments for Alex Pereira below:
Dricus du Plessis explains why he would fight Alex Pereira with "MMA style"
Dricus du Plessis isn't afraid to test himself against Alex Pereira, especially after defeating Israel Adesanya last time out. Nonetheless, du Plessis is aware of the danger that Pereira presents, leading to a different game plan than some of his past opponents, which he explained during the interview with Submission Radio:
"If you fight a guy like Alex Pereira, you fight him MMA style. If you're going to try and kickbox with a guy like Alex Pereira, you are going to get it handed to you. You have to fight him MMA style and that's the same with Israel Adesanya." [25:00-25:30]
At the moment, du Plessis has business to take care of at middleweight before a potential move to light heavyweight. Dana White announced du Plessis' next 185-pound title defense will be a rematch against Sean Strickland. Du Plessis previously defeated Strickland to become a world champion in January.
Watch Dricus du Plessis' entire interview with Submission Radio below: