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It looks like Dricus du Plessis beating Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 has reinvigorated Alex Pereira's interest in the middleweight division.
Earlier tonight at the RAC Arena in Perth, du Plessis earned the biggest win of his career as he submitted 'The Last Stylebender' in the fourth round to make his first title defense.
Interestingly, this is the first submission loss of Adesanya's professional mixed martial arts career.
Watch Israel Adesanya get submitted by Dricus du Plessis below:
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Pereira, who won his maiden UFC gold at middleweight, was impressed by 'Stillknocks'. So much so that he is now contemplating moving down to 185 pounds once again.
In an Instagram post following the event, 'Poatan' posted a picture of him sitting in front of a television showing du Plessis' victory celebration. Reacting to the win, the light heavyweight champion wrote:
"Vou descer para 84 Kg mais uma vez. Coming down to 185 one more time."
The caption in English is a translation of the Portuguese part.
Catch Alex Pereira's reaction to Israel Adesanya's loss below:
'Poatan' is currently one of the top stars in the UFC. Seeing as he has headlined many of the promotion's major pay-per-views, including the historic UFC 300, Pereira could get to face du Plessis next if he is serious about moving down.
The Brazilian is currently on a four-fight win streak. He has taken out light heavyweight elites, including former champions Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill, and Jan Blachowicz since moving up to 205 pounds in 2023.
Pereira's immense success at light heavyweight even saw him getting called out by the current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, a proposition he has shown interest in.
While 'Poatan' is becoming a powerhouse in the promotion, his former rival Adesanya's career seems to be on the decline. After the loss in Perth, 'The Last Stylebender' is now 2-3 in his last five.
However, he did KO Pereira the last time they met in the octagon. So, if 'Poatan' gets to face and beats du Plessis at middleweight, it might catapult the Nigerian-born Kiwi to title contention.
