Dricus Du Plessis was thrilled at the possibility of facing Alex Pereira in a bid to secure his second UFC championship. However, those plans have now been derailed, thanks to Magomed Ankalaev’s heroics to capture the 205lbs gold. What could have been a highly anticipated showdown between two of the sport’s best fighters now seems unlikely. Adding to the tension, the South African recently shared his thoughts on Pereira’s performance at UFC 313, offering a critique that likely won’t sit well with the former light heavyweight champion.

Pereira, often credited with possessing “the touch of death” due to his devastating knockout power, seemed to fall short in Du Plessis’ eyes. The South African standout commended Ankalaev for not taking the bait during their title encounter, effectively neutralizing what Du Plessis described as Pereira’s reliance on counter-punching tactics. From the middleweight champ’s perspective, Pereira lacked the level of engagement expected from a fighter of his caliber, leaving much to be desired in the highly anticipated contest.

“The One, The Only’. That’s not going to fight me anymore. Listen [to] what I said in the beginning, if you don’t fight Pereira, he can’t fight. Look at this,” Dricus du Plessis stated in a UFC 313 watch-along video shared by YouTuber Jackson O’Doherty. “He’s waiting for something. He’s a counterpuncher.”

The South African didn’t just stop there as he slammed Pereira for not giving the fans their money’s worth with his disappointing performance. ‘Stillknocks’ also claimed that the PPV proved that there’s indeed nothing the Brazilian can do to him inside the Octagon. “Some people paid money for this BS. He’s just waiting on that one thing… How are you going to counter me if I don’t punch?”

On the other hand, the South African star made sure to give Magomed Ankalaev his flowers for his string mental game during the clash. His fearless and relentless approach earned him praise from his fellow UFC champion. “You know what I like? Ankalaev is not scared… You throw something, he comes,” Du Plessis continued before doubling down on his decision to move on from Alex Pereira, and that too, even if ‘Poatan’ can win back his title in the potential rematch. “[Pereira lost] and he wants to go down to middleweight? [Laughs hysterically]… [Alex Pereira’s] aura gone.”

Meanwhile, there’s a sentiment among fans that maybe Alex Pereira was robbed of a win at UFC 313. But is that true? Well, another UFC champion has come out to paint the proper picture for fans who have that notion. Here’s what he had to say!

UFC champion addresses ‘uneducated’ fans by explaining Alex Pereira’s UFC 313 loss

Magomed Ankalaev failed to register any takedown out of the total 12 he attempted in the UFC 313 main event. This in turn was due to Alex Pereira’s tremendous takedown defense. However, the newly crowned light heavyweight champion’s team accused ‘Poatan’ of greasing during the fight. “When Magomed pushed him against the fence in our corner, it seemed Pereira was greased with something,” Ankalaev’s coach stated recently. Other the other hand, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall shared his take on the fight as well and seemed seriously disappointed with how some fans sided with Pereira over Ankalaev.

Doubling down on the fact that the Dagestani star was the better fighter that night, the Brit stated in an interview with Jamal Niaz. “I can’t believe people watch that fight and thought that Pereira won, it was just wild to me how many uneducated fans are out there. I thought it was an amazing fight. Both guys did good and I think that Ankalaev was just a lot better than him on the night, that’s it.”

Well, for those fans who believe Alex Pereira was the real winner, they’ll have their answer as a rematch seems to be the plan going forward. Regardless, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.