Since former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya‘s defeat by Dricus du Plessis, UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan has reportedly been losing sleep, as Adesanya has always been a favorite of his, and the two share a deep mutual respect.

After defending his middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Dricus du Plessis exchanged words with light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Pereira challenged Du Plessis to a fight, proposing to move down to middleweight. In response, Du Plessis suggested fighting at light heavyweight, implying Pereira should stay in his division. Adding fuel to the fire, UFC commentator Joe Rogan publically supported Du Plessis’s suggestion on his JRE Fight Companion for UFC 305.

Joe Rogan endorses Dricus du Plessis’ division move

Joe Rogan, a lifelong MMA enthusiast, couldn’t resist sharing his thoughts on the latest MMA drama. On Sunday, after Dricus du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title, Alex Pereira’s immediate challenge became a hot topic. Rogan, joined by friends Brendan Schaub, Tony Hinchcliffe, and Brian Simpson, dissected the situation during their UFC 305 viewing party.

During the conversation, Rogan highlighted Alex Pereira’s dangerousness at 205 lbs, leading one of his guests to exclaim, “Oh Yeah, I mean, that’s jumping into the f**king shark.” Rogan replied, “I mean, he can take a shot for sure, but can he take a shot from that guy at 205? Because that guy at 205 puts everybody night-night. Everybody goes night-night.”

Joe Rogan is not wrong after all. Since joining the light heavyweight division, Alex Pereira has unleashed devastating striking power, coming to the UFC light heavyweight champion by knocking out Jiri Prochazka. Subsequently, he defeated his longtime rival Jamhal Hill at UFC 300, silencing Hill’s trash talk. Just a few months later, Pereira stepped in on short notice at UFC 303 when Conor Mcgregor pulled out of their highly anticipated fight, and he once again knocked out Jiri Prochazka.

Joe Rogan praised Du Plessis

Even though Joe Rogan wasn’t part of the commentary team for UFC 305, he was fully engaged when the Israel Adesanya-Drcus du Plessis fight started. Initially, Rogan and his crew favored Adesanya due to his impressive twelve-fight title streak, making him a formidable opponent compared to the rising South African star, Du Plessis.

However, as the fight progressed, Rogan seemed to favor Du Plessis. Praising “Stillknock”, Rogan said, “That’s a definitive victory. He finished Izzy with a rear-naked choke. Nobody’s finished Izzy like that in a fight ever in the UFC. No one’s submitted him like that. That’s crazy. That’s a crazy victory. You’ve got to give it up to that dude. I give it up to the guy.”

What do you think about Dricus du Plessis’s decision to move to the 205 lbs division? Given that Pereira is very dangerous in the light heavyweight division but vulnerable at 185 lbs, do you believe this move will benefit Du Plessis? Share your thoughts in the comments below.