Dricus du Plessis lamented missing out on a major fight and payday after Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira at UFC 313, which he believes limits Pereira’s future options and nullifies their potential matchup.
Dricus du Plessis watched as a monumental fight opportunity slipped away last weekend. A real bummer for him.
In the spotlight of UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev took down Alex Pereira, snagging the light heavyweight title. This victory potentially threw a wrench in Pereira’s plans to tackle other division champs. Among those was du Plessis, who had previously invited Pereira to drop back to 185 pounds for a showdown.
Pereira, having snatched the UFC middleweight title from Israel Adesanya in 2022, later lost it back in an immediate rematch. Then he moved up to light heavyweight. He’s often hinted at trying his luck in heavyweight or returning to middleweight. But du Plessis believes this latest defeat narrows Pereira’s options and nixes their potential clash.
“Thanks, Ankalaev, for taking the biggest payday of my life,” du Plessis expressed on a YouTube vlog. His tone? Not exactly thrilled. “It’s nothing personal. Aura gone.”
Right after UFC 313 wrapped up, du Plessis didn’t hold back on critiquing Pereira’s performance. The South African fighter has confidently claimed he knows how to counter Pereira’s striking prowess. He even envisions himself knocking out Pereira if they ever meet in the octagon.
Although Ankalaev didn’t finish Pereira with a knockout, he did enough to secure a win on the scorecards. Du Plessis thinks Ankalaev executed the perfect strategy to neutralize "Poatan."
“Listen, look at what I said in the beginning,” du Plessis remarked while watching the fight live. “If you don’t fight Pereira, he can’t fight. Look at this, he’s waiting for something. He’s going to counter punch him. So people pay money for this b****.”
A bit harsh? Maybe. But hey, that’s the fight game for ya!