Alex Pereira comes clean about his one and only condition for a potential fight with Dricus du Plessis, reveals post-UFC 312 backstage chat

Alex Pereira is open to facing Dricus du Plessis, however, he laid out the only condition for the potential fight to take place. In addition, Pereira disclosed details of his backstage interaction with du Plessis after UFC 312.

Pereira was in Sean Strickland's corner when the American fought du Plessis in a rematch at UFC 312 last month, hoping to recapture his middleweight title. However, Strickland fell short, losing via unanimous decision after a disappointing performance inside the cage.

Following that, the South African called out Pereira and hinted at a potential fight during his octagon interview. Furthermore, du Plessis reiterated his desire to face Pereira and become a double champion during his UFC 312 post-fight press conference.

In a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Pereira expressed his thoughts on a potential fight with du Plessis, when asked about his conversation with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier after the PPV event. Notably, 'Poatan' told Cormier that the reigning middleweight champion was too small for him.

According to Pereira, du Plessis must advance to light heavyweight for them to square off. He said:

''It would definitely be a 205. I've said it before, I don't want to cut down to 185 anymore. It's just too complicated for the weight cut.''

Pereira also shared details of his backstage interaction with du Plessis following UFC 312, saying:

''Even behind the scenes asked him if that was a callout to me and he said, 'yes' and I said, '205' and he was kind of unsure but he said sure so you know we'll see''

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (4:06):

Before stepping up to face Pereira, du Plessis is expected to clash against undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev for his next title defense. Meanwhile, 'Poatan' is scheduled to take on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event on UFC 313 this weekend.

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Henry Cejudo backs Dricus du Plessis to prevail over Alex Pereira

The reports of Dricus du Plessis moving up to face Alex Pereira have sparked speculation among the MMA community regarding who would come out victorious among the two.

In an episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Henry Cejudo gave his take on the potential matchup and went with du Plessis, saying:

''If you’re asking me now, Kamaru, if we do see a matchup between DDP and Alex Pereira, even though I do believe that Pereira’s gonna beat Ankalaev, I’ll definitely put my money on DDP. I think DDP stylistically is a problem, dude. I know DDP’s gonna go in there and f*cking wrestle. I think with the grappling, I think that can be very problematic.” [H/t: BJ Penn]

Check out the full video below: