Tag: Dricus du Plessis

Dana White reacts to Alex Pereira’s call for UFC middleweight title shot: ‘He’s f*cking nasty’

UFC CEO Dana White had high praise for “Poatan.”

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] wants to go up. He wants to go down. He’s also comfortable staying put.

The flexibility the current UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has expressed when it comes to weight classes has impressed promotion CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag]. That includes the recent callout of [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] by “Poatan.”

“My take on him is, he’s f*cking nasty,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a Dana White’s Contender Series 70 post-fight news conference Tuesday. “That’s my take on him. He wants to move up. He wants to move down. He wants to go everywhere. That’s why people love him. Those are the type of fighters people love. Pereira wants to fight everybody. I love it.

“… The thing that’s great about it is, this is why I said a minute ago everybody loves him and he’s great. But it also gives us a ton of options that as we’re in matchmaking, ‘Should we do this, should we do that? Shouldn’t we do this, shouldn’t we do that?’ It’s a good problem to have with a guy like him. How about he’s on vacation and accepts the last-minute fight? Everything about Alex Pereira is what makes fans absolutely love the guy.”

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Pereira, 37, is currently booked to defend the promotion’s light heavyweight title Oct. 7 at UFC 307 vs. Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). He previously held the UFC middleweight title.

Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) doesn’t have a title fight booked, though Sean Strickland has been identified as the likely next challenger. He most recently competed Aug. 17 when he defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

White was noncommittal to a potential matchup between Pereira and Du Plessis should they both win.

 

Alex Pereira doubles down on callout of fellow UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis

Alex Pereira got fellow UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis’ attention with his post on Instagram.

If it wasn’t clear the first time, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] again has called out fellow UFC champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag].

After Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) submitted Israel Adesanya to retain his middleweight title at UFC 305 last month, Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) issued him a challenge. Du Plessis is interested in facing Pereira only if it’s for his light heavyweight title. However, “Poatan” insists on dropping back down to 185 pounds for the fight to happen.

“I’m focused on my next fight and I’m going prepared but you never know what can happen, so regardless of the result I want to go down one more time to the middleweight and go for the belt. Hey Dricus, bring your will to fight me so you can prove that you are better than me, with your public statement it is easy to make this happen, Chama 🔥”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_cTdU5s-pp/?igsh=bTZqYXU0cTMwNjRw&fbclid=IwY2xjawFDtH9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYyvuLTH9gdWgMakhClP-j3QPtt1S5y5lalHjJYARsgHnIPik5q6pyUy1Q_aem_O0a3FumE21oxt_6tItv7Lg

It didn’t take long for Du Plessis to respond to Pereira’s latest callout on X.

https://twitter.com/dricusduplessis/status/1830918138659033273

Pereira hasn’t competed at middleweight since losing his title to Adesanya by knockout at UFC 287. He then moved up to light heavyweight and saw a rapid rise en route to claiming the title. Pereira has already defended his belt twice with knockouts of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 and Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303.

Up next, Pereira takes on Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

UFC’s Caio Borralho unsure if Israel Adesanya ‘still has it,’ guarantees finish

Caio Borralho accuses Israel Adesanya of quitting against Dricus Du Plessis before he even submitted.

[autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag] didn’t just see someone who submitted in the UFC 305 main event. He saw a quitter.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] was gaining momentum in Round 4 of his title fight vs. middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 before Du Plessis was able to hurt him and submit him to retain his belt. Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) says Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was starting to fade before the finish ultimately happened.

“There was a moment that he gave up of the fight, and actually it was like a minute before he actually got finished,” Borralho told Submission Radio. “I think he got tired, and I think he lost the focus, and he was starting to do things that he doesn’t usually do. He was starting to trade punches like crazy. He was putting a lot of power on the punches, trying to just knock out, just to get out of there. I thought that he was not comfortable there anymore, as the moment that he got tired in the fight, and DDP did an amazing job.

“So, I don’t know if Adesanya still has it – the same focus, the same thing because if you see all the fights of him when he gets tired, he even changed a little bit. His face, you know, his expression, just to tell himself that he’s still there, that he gets more focused, that even when he’s tired. But this time, he looked a little bit more scared in his expression, on his face, and he gave up on the fight like a minute before the fight ended. If you see, he gave us some signs that he didn’t want to be there anymore.”

Borralho inserted himself in the title picture when he defeated former title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC on ESPN 62 this past Saturday. He thinks a fight vs. Adesanya makes perfect sense for him.

“I’m a guy that puts a lot of pressure when it comes about fighting,” Borralho said. “You guys see how I made Jared – I think Jared is the most powerful guy in the division. The heavy hitter of the division I think is Jared Cannonier in the top 10. None of these other guys hit as hard as him. So, if I made him move backwards, I would definitely make anyone move backwards, you know? And I’m going to pressure a lot Adesanya in this fight, make him move backwards.

“He likes to move backwards, actually, but I might be the only guy that uses feints, that we’re going to kick him the same way that he’s going to kick me, and I have the advantage on wrestling and grappling, too. So, I think he’ll be always in doubt if I’m going to put him down or if I’m going to just trade punches with him. I’m going to put pressure and maybe get a good knockout or a good takedown, and definitely going to finish him. With all the respect always, but that’s the way I see this fight going.”

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Robert Whittaker: Dricus Du Plessis has ‘insane pressure,’ beats Sean Strickland again

Robert Whittaker expects Dricus Du Plessis to still be champion when he contends for the title again.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] expects [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] to still be UFC middleweight champion when he contends for the title again.

Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) notched his first title defense with a submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in August. He is expected to run things back with [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] next.

Du Plessis edged out Strickland to capture the middleweight title at UFC 297, a fight Strickland is adamant he won. If Strickland gets his wish of rematching Du Plessis, Whittaker thinks he’ll fall short again.

“Mate, I think Dricus still,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “Like Dricus is a hard fight. He just has that insane pressure and willingness to get hit to land hits, and he wins that fight a lot of the time. I think he’s a hard fight for a lot of people.”

Whittaker meets Khamzat Chimaev in a pivotal 185-pound clash Oct. 26 at UFC 308. His most recent loss came to Du Plessis by TKO at UFC 290, and the former champion hopes he can get another crack at Du Plessis with a win.

So what will it take to beat Du Plessis in the octagon? Whittaker says matching his intensity.

“It’s like you need to take the fight to him for 25 minutes,” Whittaker explained. “You cannot give him any space, you cannot let him in, you cannot give him opportunity, you cannot relax, you cannot sit on your laurels. You need to be wired on, locked in for 25 minutes.”

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Caio Borralho picks Sean Strickland to beat Dricus Du Plessis in rematch – ‘maybe’

Caio Borralho acknowledges that he’s been doubting UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis for too long.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag] is done predicting UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]’ fights.

Borralho (17-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) wonders how Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) continues to prevail, previously saying “it’s crazy how bad he is.” Du Plessis recently submitted Israel Adesanya to retain his title at UFC 305.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) is touted to potentially be Du Plessis’ next title challenger, and if the pair run things back, Borralho is picking Strickland to win.

Or is he?

“I got Strickland winning this fight, maybe, because I think Strickland won the last one, but maybe he left a little bit inside the octagon that he could do a little bit more,” Borralho told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after UFC on ESPN 62. “But MMA is crazy. I always bet against Dricus, and he always wins, so I’m not betting on the next one. Let those guys kill themselves and I’m the next one.”

Borralho emerged as a top middleweight contender after outslugging former title challenger Jared Cannonier in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 62 main event at the UFC Apex.

He thinks he’s earned a title shot but is willing to take on any top-ranked middleweight to cement himself as No. 1 contender.

“I want a title shot, that’s for sure, but I’m a company man,” Borralho said. “Whoever Hunter (Campbell) and Dana (White) send me to fight. If they’re people above me or something like that, like the fight that I deserve, the fight that’s going to put me even more close to the belt, I’m going to take it, because I’m the company man.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.

Robert Whittaker: Fighting Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight a bad idea for Alex Pereira

Robert Whittaker is warning Alex Pereira not to fight fellow UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] is warning [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] not to fight fellow UFC champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] at middleweight.

Light heavyweight champ Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) expressed interest in dropping back down to 185 pounds to challenge middleweight champ Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who’s fresh off a fourth-round submission of Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. The last time Pereira competed at middleweight, he was knocked out by Adesanya at UFC 287. He has since dominated the light heavyweight division, but Whittaker thinks draining himself back down to 185 pounds would be detrimental to him.

“Honestly I don’t think that’s a good fight for him,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good fight for him. But also like, when you move up to light heavyweight, moving back down is tricky.

“And it’s not like you move up for one fight. He stayed up there. He’s been 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.”

Whittaker also thinks Pereira wouldn’t be able to handle Du Plessis’ power at middleweight.

“Well, Alex gets hit, OK, and Dricus likes getting hit,” Whittaker said. “So it’s hard to see someone with the amount of power to stop Dricus from walking forward into you, and Dricus hits hard. You saw that in the fight against Adesanya. Adesanya has got like a really good chin, and Dricus was still hurting him enough to make him uncomfortable.”

Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will look to notch his third light heavyweight title defense when he takes on Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jiri Prochazka interested in following UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis: ‘I’ll clear things up there and take the belt’

Jiri Prochazka reiterates interest in a potential move down to middleweight.

[autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] has reiterated interest in a potential move down to middleweight.

Prochazka (30-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) now has fallen short twice to light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira by knockout. Outside of Pereira, Prochazka has finished all four of his other UFC opponents.

Prochazka doesn’t see himself having issues making 185 pounds and said a move down would depend on the outcome of the middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. Du Plessis wound up submitting Adesanya in Round 4.

“If Adesanya wins, I’ll stay in the light heavyweight division, but if Du Plessis wins, I’ll follow him,” Prochazka said in Czech, according to his YouTube channel translation. I’ll clear things up a bit there and take the belt. But I feel good and strong in the light heavyweight division, even though the guys there are a bit heavier.

“Almost all of them. So I have to say that I have no problem physically and strength-wise, or in any way, with clearing them out, but it would certainly be a challenge for me to go for the belt in the (middleweight) division and then move up. But I’ll really let it flow and see how it unfolds.”

If Prochazka remains at light heavyweight, he’s open to Jamahal Hill next but says that fight isn’t currently in the works. Like Prochazka, Hill’s most recent fight is a knockout loss to Pereira.

“That’s interesting because there hasn’t been any negotiation or discussion with the manager or anyone else yet,” Prochazka said. “I just sent one message regarding Hill, just as an informational note, and I’m not sure if anything has progressed or if someone let something slip. But for now it’s all just speculation.”

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Israel Adesanya could ‘come back and have a resurgence’ after UFC 305, coach says

Israel Adesanya’s coach saw positives in his fight with Dricus Du Plessis and believes he could beat any middleweight, including DDP.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s coach saw positives out of his fight against UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag].

Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was submitted by Du Plessis in their middleweight title fight, which headlined UFC 305 in Perth. Adesanya failed to regain his belt after an 11-month hiatus, but he had his moments before getting stopped in Round 4.

The momentum appeared to swing Adesanya’s way in Round 4, before Du Plessis tagged him with a big combination. Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) capitalized by jumping onto the submission, and City Kickboxing’s striking coach, Mike Angove, praised the champion for his will to win.

“Israel showed that he’s quite capable of getting Dricus out of there,” Angove told Submission Radio. “But Dricus also showed what he showed all along, which is that he’s an absolute dog. He’s always looking for an opportunity to win. He will never give up. He was hurt on multiple occasions in that fight, and you know, he took that victory, and he’s done that again and again and again.

“We’ve seen him in other fights where he’s been on the backfoot, and he’s found a way to win, and he’s shown that indomitable will to win. So, we’ve got to credit him for that. That said, I feel like it was a fight we probably let slip away a little bit. Just a couple of mistakes, but I think those mistakes come from a little bit of fatigue, potentially, and that can be attributable to time out of the game. Just making a few readjustments to what we do with our (strength) and (conditioning).”

Angove wasn’t too discouraged from Adesanya’s performance. He thinks “The Last Stylebender” still has what it takes to compete at the top, despite losing three of his past four fights.

“We know that Dricus has a great back take. He’s got a number of submissions,” Angove said. “He’s very quick to take that back, and that’s something you need to be aware of the whole time, and we made that mistake, and we paid for it. Look, how does he look like he did against Strickland, which to be fair there’s a few issues that led to that.

“We would have been sitting in a different position, but Israel looks like he has the ability to come back and have a resurgence, if you like, in his career. He showed that he’s more than capable of of taking out anyone in that division, including Dricus. And you know, we’ll see him back in the gym very shortly, as soon as he’s back from Africa and looking to plan our next steps.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

UFC 305 medical suspensions: Li Jingliang shut down for 2 months after brutal KO

After a brutal KO at the hands of Carlos Prates, Li Jingliang is out two months. But one UFC 305 suspension is potentially longer.

Everyone who fought this past Saturday at UFC 305 has been given medical suspensions after their bouts, though several were just for mandatory rest periods.

Of note, Li Jingliang, who suffered one of the most brutal knockouts in recent memory at the hand of Carlos Prates, will be out for 60 days. Plus, Casey O’Neill, who took a decision from Luana Santos on the prelims, has a 6-month suspension unless she gets clearance from a doctor to return sooner.

The event, which took place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, was headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champ Israel Adesanya.

Thursday, MMA Junkie acquired a full list of medical suspensions from the commission at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries of Western Australia, which oversaw the event. Check out that full list below. It’s important to note fighters can return prior to the conclusion of the full term if they are cleared by a doctor (unless noted otherwise).

Jesus Aguilar def. Stewart Nicoll

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 18: Stewart Nicoll of Australia is checked by medical staff after being defeated by Jesus Aguilar of Mexico during the Flyweight Bout against during UFC 305 at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Stewart Nicoll[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn

[autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: 21-day suspension
[autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Tom Nolan def. Alex Reyes

[autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: 30-day suspension
[autotag]Alex Reyes[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Jack Jenkins def. Herbert Burns

[autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Casey O’Neill def. Luana Santos

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 18: Casey O’Neill of Australia celebrates after her Women’s Flyweight fight against Luana Santos of Brazil during UFC 305 at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

[autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: 180-day suspension unless cleared by doctor
[autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest

Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao

[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: 30-day suspension
[autotag]Josh Culibao[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa

[autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: 15-day suspension

Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang

China’s Li Jingliang (in red) is knocked out by Brazil’s Carlos Prates in their men’s welterweight division event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 305 at the Perth Arena in Perth on August 18, 2024. (Photo by COLIN MURTY / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE — (Photo by COLIN MURTY/AFP via Getty Images)

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: 15-day suspension
[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: 60-day suspension

Jairzinho Rozenstruik def. Tai Tuivasa

[autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Dan Hooker def. Mateusz Gamrot

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: 45-day suspension
[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Kai Kara-France def. Steve Erceg

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: 45-day suspension

Dricus Du Plessis def. Israel Adesanya

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: 15 days mandatory rest
[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: 30-day suspension

Caio Borralho on Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 305 title defense: ‘Crazy how bad he is, but how he makes it work’

UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho reacts to Dricus Du Plessis’ title defense at UFC 305.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Caio Borralho[/autotag] was impressed, but at the same time, not really by [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]’ first UFC title defense.

Borralho (16-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who fights Jared Cannonier (17-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 62, is in awe of how much success Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is having, despite his lack of skill, at least according to Borralho.

“It’s crazy this one because whenever Dricus fights, I always bet against him, you know,” Borralho told reporters on Wednesday at the UFC on ESPN 62 media day. “It’s crazy how bad he is, but how he makes it work, you know. It’s crazy how he makes it work.

“Props to him. I just need to congratulate him because even with bad technique, bad game plan, crazy style, he always makes it work, and he’s winning. He’s undefeated in the UFC, so he deserves this spot that he is right now. For sure, I just think about Jared – I don’t want to think bout anything else – but looking forward to getting this fight.”

Du Plessis is unbeaten since joining the UFC and is currently on a 10-fight winning streak. He won the UFC middleweight title by defeating then-champion Sean Strickland back in January and defended it this past Saturday by submitting Israel Adesnya in the main event of UFC 305 in Australia.

It looks like Strickland is up next as a challenger, but Borralho would like to offer another name deserving of the opportunity.

“If I’m being honest, I think Brendan Allen is one of the guys that deserves the shot because I think he has like seven or eight straight victories,” Borralho said. “He as supposed to fight a top five guy for his last fight, and the guy got injured. He then took a fight against (Chris) Curtis, who was No. 15. He took a lot of risk on that, and I think he’s going a great job inside the octagon.

“I just think he needs to do a better job outside the octagon in marketing, social media, and other stuff. … I think he’s the guy that really deserves that. I think Sean Strickland) deserves it too because he already faced Adesanya and Dricus, and I think with Dricus he won the fight. I think he deserves the rematch, too. I think these are the two guys that deserve it most.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.