After winning the middleweight title at UFC 305, Dricus du Plessis silenced many doubters. His victory over Israel Adesanya featured relentless pressure and relentless mistakes, proving too much for the former champion. Although his victory over Sean Strickland at UFC 297 was controversial and many, including Dana White, believed that Strickland had the edge, du Plessis had no doubts about his latest performance
Now, with his reputation firmly established, du Plessis is ready to take on a new challenge—moving up to light heavyweight to face Alex Pereira. Pereira, the reigning lightweight champion, called out du Plessis after winning UFC 305, a challenge the middleweight champion readily accepted.
Michael Bisping Weighs In: Why Du Plessis Is Less Dangerous Against Pereira
Former UFC champion Michael Bisping, while shocked by Dricus du Plessis’ desire to move up to 205 pounds, understands the logic behind the decision. Bisping admits the South African fighter’s desire to be a two-way champion is great but sees it as a low-risk opportunity.
“Dricus du Plessis wants to be a champion on two fronts at the same time,” Bisping said. “This man is a fighter. He wants potentially big fights, he will take the fight against Pereira. But he doesn’t want to go to 185. He wants to move up to 205 and potentially become a double champion. It’s crazy.”
Bisping also said a fight at light heavyweight makes perfect sense for du Plessis. Even if he loses Pereira, du Plessis will retain his middleweight title. “If he moves up to 205 and loses Pereira, he’ll still be the 185-pound champion. So he doesn’t risk anything on his record except to lose,” Bisping explained.
Du Plessis’s Title Defense: Why He Thinks Whittaker Deserves a Shot at Strickland
Dana White has suggested Sean Strickland is next in line to challenge du Plessis for the middleweight title, but the South African champion isn’t entirely on board and du Plessis believes Robert Whittaker, not Strickland, is more deserving of a title shot in the next issue.
Dricus Du Plessis rejected Strickland’s claims, saying the only thing in ‘Tarzan’s favor’ was that their previous fight had gone to a decision. He pointed out that Whittaker has had a dominant year, defeating Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov and soon taking on Khamzat Chimaev. By contrast, Strickland’s recent win over Costa was much closer.
“If the ‘Reaper’ manages to defeat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October, it will be really hard to deny him a title shot,” argued Du Plessis. Although Whittaker lost to du Plessis at UFC 290 last year, the South African believes Whittaker’s current form makes him a worthy contender.
What’s next for du Plessis?
With Dana White already announcing Strickland as his next challenger, du Plessis has no choice but to meet him. But if Robert Whittaker continues his impressive run, it presents an interesting challenge for the UFC. Regardless of who stands atop the cage since then, du Plessis’ journey as a middleweight champion has only just begun, with plenty of exciting fights to come.
