Exclusive: Israel Adesanya's former preys have great opportunity now that Alex Pereira is the champion, says Dricus du Plessis
Dricus du Plessis recently weighed in on the current landscape of the UFC middleweight division, which has witnessed a significant change since Alex Pereira dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 281.
The common consensus amongst UFC middleweight competitors suggests that the division has become a battleground for viable contenders who fancy their chances against freshly crowned champion Alex Pereira.
Even now-retired former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has claimed that he might consider coming back from retirement, reckoning that 'Poatan' is a favorable matchup.
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Luke Rockhold is ready to come out of retirement if Alex Pereira beats Israel Adesanya 😲
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#UFC #MMA | @ufc @LukeRockhold https://t.co/njEiC5Yl8I
Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Dricus du Plessis alluded to Alex Pereira's limited experience in MMA as a factor that other contenders in the division could exploit:
"Izzy was quite a decorated MMA striker. He had 13 or some odd [11 fights in MMA] when he signed with the UFC. He's had his MMA experience. Whereas Pereira came in with [3-1].... That's ridiculous."
Furthermore, he shed light on why Israel Adesanya's former opponents have a better chance at capturing the gold now that Pereira is the champion:
"I do see more opportunities for guys in the division that have lost to Izzy beating Pereira. I think a guy like [Robert] Whittaker has the tools to beat a guy like Pereira where it seemed like Izzy was Whittaker's kryptonite. A guy like Marvin Vettori has more tools to beat Pereira."
The former two-time EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) middleweight champion believes that Adesanya's success in the grappling department against Pereira is an encouraging sign for accomplished grapplers in the division.
Catch our exclusive interview with Dricus du Plessis below:
Dricus du Plessis previews his upcoming fight against Darren Till
Dricus du Plessis returns to action at UFC 282 against Darren Till at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The No.14-ranked middleweight contender is riding an impressive three-fight win streak under the UFC banner going into the fight this weekend.
Previewing the highly anitcipated bout in the aforementioned exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, du Plessis claimed that he doesn't envision the fight going to the judges' scorecards:
"I can tell you that I don't envision going to the judges' scorecards. A lot of people say, 'Hey, take Darren Till down.' I wouldn't call it his weakness, that's not his strength [grappling]. I don't see it as I have strength or weakness in a fight, that's what makes me different. I don't care where the fight plays out. I go out there and see what I get."
Ever since he made his UFC debut back in October 2020 against Markus Perez, du Plessis has slowly shaped into a perennial threat to middleweight contenders. He will be keen on scoring the biggest victory of his MMA career against a high-profile contender in Darren Till.
Viewers in India can watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 282: Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 8:30 am IST on December 11, 2022