Dricus Du Plessis rooting for Israel Adesanya against Alex Pereira for biased reasons

Israel Adesanya will return to the octagon at UFC 287 on April 8 to face Alex Pereira again, this time to reclaim the middleweight throne he lost in November 2022. Dricus du Plessis revealed that he is hoping 'The Last Stylebender' is finally able to overcome his longtime rival.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, the No.6-ranked middleweight shared his prediction for the bout:

"I think Izzy wins the fight, but with Alex Pereira, with that guy, you can just never count him out. We’ve seen that so many times, and it’s gonna be an interesting fight. I’m really looking forward to seeing who wins that fight, but I’m more than happy to, whoever wins the fight, step in there and face them... For me, it makes literally no difference which one wins and which one I get to fight."

Du Plessis was asked if he was rooting for Israel Adesanya to reclaim his title as it would grant him the opportunity to fight for the belt, to which he responded:

"I think that happens probably, and I think I'm probably biased. Yeah, that's the thing, I'm the only guy in the top five he hasn't fought."

Watch Dricus du Plessis' full comments on the middleweight title below:

Dricus Du Plessis is "more than happy" to fight the winner of the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira rematch 👀 #TheMMAHour

▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=hMRk7w… https://t.co/pPZRTIqqav

Israel Adesanya has lost three closely contested fights against Alex Pereira, two of which came in kickboxing. It is still unclear if du Plessis is in line to receive a title shot if 'The Last Stylebender' is able to reclaim the middleweight belt.

Israel Adesanya's return: Dricus du Plessis hopes to face 'The Last Stylebender' if he is victorious at UFC 287

When he faces Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya will be a middleweight challenger for the first time since defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. Dricus du Plessis revealed that he is hoping to get a title opportunity if 'The Last Stylebender' reclaims his belt. Speaking at the UFC 285 post-fight press conference, the No.6-ranked middleweight stated:

"I think they're waiting to see what happens with Izzy and [Alex] Pereira. If Izzy wins this fight with Pereira, I'm the only guy in the top five he hasn't fought, so that makes sense. If Pereira wins, I'm not sure what they want to do, but at the end of the day, it's probably going to be a No.1-contender fight or a title shot. I'm happy with either of those."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' full comments below:

Adesanya will have defeated every middleweight in the top five of the rankings if he is able to get past Pereira at UFC 287. However, there is a chance for a trilogy bout to be scheduled if 'The Last Stylebender' is unable to convincingly defeat his opponent.