Robert Whittaker advises Alex Pereira against moving down to middleweight to fight Dricus Du Plessis.
Du Plessis defended his middleweight strap for the first time with a fourth-round submission win in an absolute war against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 17. Pereira was one of the many elite names who subsequently called for a clash against Du Plessis. The former middleweight champ and reigning light heavyweight champ expressed interest in moving back down to 185 pounds to challenge “Stillknocks.”
However, Whittaker, another former middleweight champ and top contender, would advise Pereira against it. Whittaker notes that Pereira’s potential cut to middleweight would drain him with the Brazilian now having been a staple at light heavyweight. While Pereira has been known to starch people on the feet, Whittaker highlights Du Plessis’ ability to get hit and stay standing. Whittaker further points out that Du Plessis’ proven knockout power could find success against Pereira, who also has openings in his defense.
“Honestly, I don’t think that’s a good fight for [Pereira],” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “But also, when you move up to light heavyweight, moving back down is tricky. And it’s not like you move up for one fight, he’s stayed up there. He’s fighting up there for a while now. So it would take a lot out of him to get down and Dricus is so strong there.
“Well, Alex gets hit and Dricus likes getting hit. So it’s hard to see someone with the amount of power to stop Dricus from walking forward into you. And Dricus hits hard, we saw that in the fight against Adesanya. Adesanya’s got a really good chin and Dricus was still hurting him enough to make him uncomfortable.”
Whittaker has experienced Du Plessis’ power, suffering a second-round technical knockout loss against the South African at UFC 290 in July 2023. “The Reaper” will look to make his way back to title contention when he faces fellow top contender Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, Du Plessis’ coach, Morne Visser, has expressed interest in the Pereira matchup but only at light heavyweight.
