Alex Pereira scores Dricus du Plessis lower than Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker as he rates top UFC fighters

Alex Pereira continues to jab at Dricus du Plessis, with a recent ranking list from the UFC light heavyweight champion rating the South African lower than several non-champions. ESPN MMA shared a clip of the moment, which was filmed ahead of Pereira's title defense at UFC 307.

The scaling system was from one to 10, with 10 being the highest score. While evaluating the likes of Tom Aspinall, Magomed Ankalaev, Jon Jones, Dricus du Plessis, Khamzat Chimaev, Robert Whittaker, Aleksandar Rakić, and Khalil Rountree Jr., 'Poatan' scored 'DDP' a four, the lowest score he gave.

Check out Alex Pereira scoring UFC fighters:

It is a head-scratching dismissal of the South African phenom, who reigns as the current middleweight champion, with wins over Sean Strickland, Robert Whittaker, and Israel Adesanya, all of whom are former 185-pound champions, and all of whom he finished besides Strickland.

However, being underestimated by his peers is nothing new for du Plessis, with Whittaker claiming to have underestimated him in an interview following their UFC 290 title eliminator. The claim, however, appears contradictory, as prior to his stoppage loss to 'Stillknocks', Whittaker claimed to not be underestimating him.

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Alex Pereira criticized Dricus du Plessis in a previous media appearance

Weeks ago, Alex Pereira was interviewed by FULL SEND MMA, where he touched on several topics. Chief among them was Dricus du Plessis, who he criticized for dismissing his callout of him after being asked who he'd rather fight between him or Jon Jones.

"The way that he [Dricus du Plessis] presents himself is always jokes. He won't respond. He's always trolling somehow when the subject [of a fight] is presented to him. He never takes it seriously. So it shows that he's scared. Instead of him just saying, 'Look, UFC, let's make me and Pereira fight.' So, clown."

Check out Alex Pereira trash-talking Dricus du Plessis (4:29):

Despite Pereira's claims, it isn't necessarily true that du Plessis ignores his callouts. The South African previously expressed an interest in facing 'Poatan' at light heavyweight instead of middleweight.