Last week at UFC 305, Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title against former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. It made him happy to beat a formidable fighter and he was looking to his next title defense against Sean Strickland. However, this was short-lived. As the fight ended, Alex Pereira announced on social media that he would be returning to the middleweight division one more time, to which Dricus Du Plessis responded, “If Izzy stiffened you like that, you do not want to be in there with me.”

Now incensed by Du Plessis’ words, Alex Pereira issued a warning to him through his official YouTube channel, which is rare because Pereira is one of those fighters who doesn’t believe in talking but in doing. He said, “It’s another guy [Dricus] who wants to fight against me, he said, ‘Yeah, come, I’m waiting for you’. But no, he tried to make me scared, but he was the one who is scared.”

During the UFC 305 post-fight press conference, Dricus du Plessis told Pereira that he didn’t need to return to the middleweight division because he would instead meet him in the light heavyweight division. This statement ignited tension between the two fighters, as there had been persistent rumors within the UFC that Alex Pereira, once a middleweight contender, had been forced to move up to the light heavyweight division due to issues with weight cuts and after being knocked out by Israel Adesanya. This recent dismissal of Pereira’s anticipation to go a weight class down ignited further tension.

Sean Strickland on Pereira’s middleweight goals

The person who will be most affected by Alex Pereira’s potential return to the 185-pound division is Sean Strickland, who is seeking to avenge his earlier defeat against Dricus du Plessis. Strickland lost his title and confidence after his loss to du Plessis earlier this year. Although Strickland would like to verbally attack Pereira, he can’t do so directly as they have recently become friends. This newfound brotherhood was evident in a social media clip where they sparred continuously for six minutes.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Strickland strongly expressed his disapproval of Pereira’s decision to return to the middleweight division. He insisted that Pereira should stick to the 205-pound division, stating, “His big a** ain’t going back down to 185, dude. As a welterweight that moved up to 185, once you get used to that weight class, the thought of going back down sounds miserable. I think Alex should fight (Du Plessis) at 205 any day of the week. Any day of the week, he sits at 205, 100 percent.”

What are your thoughts on Alex Pereira’s warning to Dricus du Plessis? Should Pereira drop down to the middleweight division or stay in the light heavyweight division and wait for Du Plessis there? Drop your comments below.