Sean Strickland requests Alex Pereira to let him rematch Dricus du Plessis next: "With all due respect, you giant f***ing Brazilian"
Sean Strickland has chimed in on Alex Pereira and Dricus du Plessis' apparent interest in fighting one another. Strickland suggested that he'd like to fight du Plessis first, after which the South African could potentially face Pereira.
Strickland suffered a first-round KO defeat against Pereira in July 2022. 'Poatan' captured the UFC middleweight title by defeating Israel Adesanya via fifth-round TKO in Nov. 2022 but lost it to Adesanya via second-round KO in April 2023. Pereira then moved up in weight, became the UFC light heavyweight champion, and has notched two successful title defenses.
Meanwhile, Strickland defeated Adesanya via unanimous decision to win the middleweight title in Sep. 2023 and then lost it to du Plessis via split decision in Jan. 2024.
Following that, du Plessis defended the belt by besting Adesanya via fourth-round submission in August 2024. Strickland, fresh off a split decision victory against Paulo Costa in June 2024, has been lobbying for a title rematch against du Plessis.
Additionally, after the du Plessis-Adesanya fight, Pereira asserted that he'd like to return to middleweight to capture the title from du Plessis. 'Stillknocks' warned that he'd handily beat Pereira, who he feels would lose to him, and then blame the loss on the tough cut to middleweight. Instead, du Plessis opined that he'd move up to fight 'Poatan' for the light heavyweight belt.
Pereira is scheduled to defend his title against Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in Utah on Oct. 5, 2024. Strickland, who's sparred with Pereira in the past, is also helping the Brazilian combatant in his sparring and preparations for the upcoming fight against Rountree.
In a recent interview with The Schmo, Strickland was asked about the feud between Pereira and du Plessis, to which he responded by once again jibing and labeling du Plessis a 'Dutchman.' He further opined that Pereira should let him fight 'Stillknocks' first.
Indicating that Pereira is wealthy and doesn't need the du Plessis matchup, Strickland stated:
"Alex, I know you worked at a tire shop. But listen -- you're not a poor Brazilian anymore. You got more money than all of us. Then shut the f**k down. Let me fight the Dutchman. Then we can send him your way. Thank you, Alex. With all due respect, you giant f***ing Brazilian."
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below:
Alex Pereira reiterates interest in potential UFC middleweight title fight against Dricus du Plessis
During his recent interview with The Schmo, Alex Pereira reaffirmed his interest in a possible clash against UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis. Pereira would like it to be at middleweight. 'Poatan' emphasized that he needed a break from the challenging weight cuts to 185 pounds and is healthier now, making a middleweight cut feasible for him.
Furthermore, while Pereira previously stated he'd return to middleweight one more time, he's now hinted at possibly competing in multiple fights in that division middleweight. The former Glory kickboxing middleweight and light heavyweight champion said:
"I think I can do more fights [at middleweight]."
Catch Alex Pereira's comments below (4:03):